Only A Rose
by Tinuviel Undomiel
Summary: Co Author: Nerwen Aldarion. AU After Skin Deep. Emma has to take care of Rose French, Moe's granddaughter, after he is hospitalized. She begins to investigate Rose's missing mother and unknown father, uncovering a secret story from another world. Meanwhile, Mr. Gold struggles with the knowledge that he might have another child, one he must protect from Regina.
1. A Well Kept Secret

Disclaimer: Not even with our combined income do we have enough money to buy Once Upon A Time. So nope, not ours.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Well I was planning on working on some lovely long one-shots for this show and then something happened. My evil twin sister came up with an idea for my favorite couple on this show and it turned into this multi-chapter story. So blame her, LOL. This story is going to fool with the timeline a bit on the show, but it's TV Land where time is meaningless anyways. We'll expand lengths between episodes mostly, rarely will we change time within the episodes themselves. I hope you all enjoy this one, I know I do.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: My first foray in the OUAT universe and I'm a little nervous. It was really by sheer accident that this story is being made, I was just randomly talking to my sister about the various baby fics out there and I asked if anyone had done a situation like this? Well, here we are hehehe. This story is not another baby fic, it actually will fit in pretty well with the canon on the show with the addition of one adorable little character. Just wait and see how the folks in Storybrooke deal with this!

* * *

Only A Rose

Chapter 1: A Well Kept Secret

Ever since her talk with Mr. Gold at his house, Emma had been unsettled by a very bad feeling. She doubted he would have phoned in the robbery at his house. Mr. Gold handled things himself. That was what bothered her, she had a feeling his idea of getting justice wasn't the same as hers.

When she heard about the florist's van being seen leaving town and driving into the woods, she had a sinking feeling that she was too late. Still, she followed the path left in the muddy road into the forest. She only hoped Gold didn't do anything stupid.

The road ended at a cabin and she was relieved to see the Game of Thorns truck parked outside of it. Maybe she was wrong and this was Moe French just hiding out. She didn't know the man personally, but she bet that she could sort this out quietly, get whatever the hell it was that Gold was missing and this would all blow over.

The second she opened the door to her patrol car she realized that dream had just gone up in smoke.

Someone was screaming. It wasn't a cry of fear, this was pain, intense pain. Emma didn't even close the door to the car, she just ran towards the cabin. She had one hand on the doorknob when she heard something else, a voice that was unmistakably Gold's.

"It's your fault!" she heard him growl followed by a thud, "_You_ hurt her, not _me_! It was you!" Another thud followed by a scream. "You!"

Graham probably would have kicked down the door by now, but Emma was still frozen where she was. What the hell was he talking about?

"She's gone because of you! Not me! You!" There were more thuds but no more screams. The silence coming from Moe French was enough to shake Emma out of her stupor. She opened the door, but Gold didn't seem to hear her. Again, she found herself shocked into immobility.

Moe French was tied up and lying on the ground, covered in blood and bruises. Gold had seated himself in a chair backwards. She watched him raise his gold tipped cane and slam it down hard on the—hopefully—unconscious man. "It's your fault!" he shouted again and again, "It's your fault!"

Emma wasn't sure what Moe had done to piss of Gold, but it certainly wasn't robbery.

She sprang into action, grabbing his wrist before he could deliver the next blow. "Stop," she whispered urgently.

Gold turned his head to look at her. His brown eyes were filled with anger, but more than that they were heavy with pain. He didn't even seem to see her for a moment, but was lost in some other place. Emma had never seen him like this before. He'd always exuded a sort of cold confidence, sometimes feigning a bit of warmth to draw someone in like flame captivating a moth. But here…he wasn't impassive or put together. He was a mess.

"Step away," she told him, "Go outside."

He actually obeyed her even though she didn't think she had sounded particularly fearsome. Once he'd left the chair, Emma hurried to Moe's side and assessed his injuries. He was alive, breathing poorly but she guessed that might be because of the nasty bruise forming at his throat. Had Gold tried suffocate him with his cane?

His arm and head were all bleeding and one knee was heavily swollen. She guessed he may have had a broken knee, definitely a broken arm and God only knew what else. Emma fumbled for her phone in her pocket and called the hospital.

"This is Sheriff Swan," she said, "I need an ambulance up in the woods…where the hell am I?" She muttered that last part to herself. "Uh, it's a cabin, past the Toll Bridge and go up this unpaved road. It's the only one around. Hurry."

She didn't think French was in much danger of dying, but a groan did slip from his lips and he only managed a few blinks before he faded again. He needed help.

Emma couldn't think of anything else to do with him but wipe the blood away from his face with a rag and try to apply pressure to the head wound. It didn't seem to do much good.

"Gold," French whispered once, "Don't know…didn't mean…"

"It's okay," Emma said to him, "He won't hurt you anymore."

That did rouse her to another problem. She'd told Gold to go outside where two getaway vehicles waited for him to use with their keys dangling in the ignitions. "Crap," she said in a breath and leapt to her feet.

The window showed her that both the van and her squad car were still outside the cabin. So was Gold. He was just standing there, leaning up against her car. His shoulders were slumped in defeat, but she could see he gripped his head in his hands so hard she suspected he was pulling his own hair.

Emma forgot about French for a moment and wandered over to the open door. She held her breath and listened.

Gold was crying. No, he was sobbing.

She might have thought it was guilt, but there hadn't been any remorse in his eyes when he'd looked at her before. No, this was something completely different. Gold was also in pain, it's just his injuries were entirely internal. And she had a feeling they had been self-inflicted.

This had to deal with that woman, whoever he had been talking about. Emma looked back at the wounded florist, seeing the depth of his injuries. Gold wouldn't have done this just for theft. He had enough power to ruin the man in a much more painful method: taking away everything but his life. Gold was clever, a schemer. These weren't the actions of a man who's favorite weapon was his own mind. This was the workings of someone who had harbored a grudge for a long time, someone who had lost something and knew he couldn't ever get it back. Someone who knew he had to live with that guilt and wanted to hurt the second half of the guilty party.

"What did you do?" Emma asked Moe French, but the man didn't hear her question.

The scream of sirens was a relief to Emma. French could be handed off to the paramedics while she dealt with Gold. One look out the door showed her that Gold had managed to compose himself back together. His mask of cool indifference was back on. One look at him and a person would find it hard to believe he'd almost beat a man to death with his cane.

The two paramedics hustled inside, carrying a gurney and other medical equipment. "What happened?"

"He stole from Mr. Gold," Emma explained, "I found them in here. Gold was beating him with his cane."

Both paramedic's gave her a wide-eyed look and then stared back at Gold who was still by her car. Apparently now they weren't just afraid of their financial welfare with him but their physical wellbeing as well. No doubt the man enjoyed that, but his eyes were focused on the ground. Where exactly was his mind at the moment, Emma wondered.

The paramedics put an oxygen mask on French to help him breath and loaded him up in the gurney. "He'll be all right?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, he's hurt bad, but nothing life-threatening. He'll be in the hospital for a while though."

Emma nodded and slowly followed them out of the cabin. French was still pretty out of it, but she saw his blue eyes warily flicker to Gold as he was wheeled past him. No doubt the poor man was going to shiver every time he ever thought of him again. She couldn't really blame him.

Gold was watching Moe French then entire time, but his face was completely unreadable. Emma had no idea how he did that but she wanted his secret. "So I heard you managed not to break anything he needs," Emma said, finally gaining his full attention, "You're lucky, Mr. Gold."

She saw him let out a small huff. "You've got a funny definition of 'lucky'." His words weren't colored with sarcasm and she couldn't find any remorse in them. He truly didn't regret hammering French with that cane. This definitely had nothing to do with that robbery.

Emma crossed her arms, peering at him with interest. "You have a funny definition of justice." She saw one of his brows quirk up at that last word. No, perhaps it was a poor choice on her part. This wasn't about justice but revenge. "What did he really do?"

Gold blinked and then stepped forward a bit. "He _stole_," he reminded her.

Emma shook her head a bit. "That reaction was about more than taking a few trinkets." He looked away for moment, but returned his focused attention back to her when she continued, "You said something about how he hurt 'her'."

There was the pain again, for just a brief second. She might have missed it had she even blinked. Emma continued, "What happened to 'her'?"

Gold was staring at her again but this time she was certain it was her who he was seeing. She couldn't know who it was, not unless she could read minds. But maybe she could reach out to him somehow.

"Who was that?" she asked, "What did he do?"

No response.

"If someone needs help, maybe I can help."

Gold blinked and returned back to planet Earth from wherever he had just been for a second. Apparently he had been listening to her because he shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, Sheriff, I think you heard that wrong."

He said it to quickly, too impassively. It was an obvious lie, one he put no effort in hiding. He was just making it absolutely clear that he had no intention of telling her about this mysterious woman and why Moe French had deserved that beating.

Emma sat back on her heels. "You really don't want to cooperate." She let her disappointment in him show.

"Look," he said in a clipped tone, "We're done here."

He tried to turn and walk away, but Emma reached out and grabbed his hand. "Actually, we're not." She held up her cuffs to prove her point and he actually looked surprised. Had he thought she was going to let him go? "You're under arrest."

At the first click when the cuff encircled his wrist, Mr. Gold smiled at her. This wasn't his, "I've got you where I want you smile," one he'd given her when she'd realized he'd planned to make her sheriff all along. This one was different. He seemed to be saying, "You have no idea who you are dealing with."

Emma refused to be intimidated by that, just grabbed his other wrist and locked it too. "You have the right to remain silent…"

He immediately ignored that right. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he asked, still smiling.

Emma didn't bite back her own grin. "Oh just a…lot, yeah."

Gold just shook his head at her as she finished reading him the rest of his rights. She knew she didn't have to throw in the part about providing him an attorney if he couldn't afford one, but the law was the law.

"Come on," she said, "It's late, I'm tired and you've been a pain in my ass for weeks."

"This is the thank you I receive for getting you elected," he said as he opened the door and helped him into her squad car.

Emma leaned through the door to look him in the eye. "You didn't do it for me, you did it for yourself. You don't get any brownie points for that."

He just let out a chuckle, that irritating sound that told her she still had no clue about this man. It was enough to make her slam the door a bit harder than was necessary. He was watching her though the rearview mirror as she slid into the driver's seat.

She met those eyes through the mirror. She expected to see anger, hatred or something, but no. She saw annoyance and that was it. She'd thought he might use that favor she owed him and demand his release, but now she saw he had no intention of doing that. It wasn't a relief. It just meant he had bigger plans for her than just getting out of assault charges.

"Did you find it?" Emma asked him. He blinked at the question and then shook his head. "Maybe had you stopped pounding him for a second, he could have told you."

"He understood the rules, he just refused to follow them."

"Whatever that means," Emma said as she turned the car on. She reached to put the car in drive, but her hand stopped on the shift. He'd planned the whole thing to get her elected. He'd planned to burn Regina's office so she could save her. He'd even predicted that she would oust him in front of the entire town. Mr. Gold always thought three steps ahead of everyone else. This might not be the exception.

Emma whirled around in her seat so she could meet his eyes without the aid of a reflecting piece of glass. "Did you plan this?"

"What?"

"Did you plan to have French owe you a loan he couldn't pay back? Did you want him to steal from you so you could do this him?"

He gave her a crooked smile and shook his head. "I never had any intention of letting him rob from me."

He wasn't lying, she could see that much. But she was beginning to understand something else about this situation. "But you did put him in debt on purpose," she said, "You wanted to take the van from him. You want to ruin him. That was a part of your revenge, wasn't it?"

Gold's smile had faded away. She saw that hard look was back in his eyes again. He didn't say another word. Instead, he looked out the window, wordlessly telling her he had no intention of answering that question. Gold was done talking for the night.

Emma sighed and sat back in her chair. "Fine. You can keep your secrets, I don't really want to know anyways."

She heard him laugh a little as she shifted the car into drive. "Now that, Sheriff, is a lie if I ever heard one."

* * *

While she did take satisfaction taking mug shots of Mr. Gold and then locking him in the holding cell, Emma was still exhausted as she stumbled her way up to the apartment she shared with Mary Margaret. She unlocked the door and walked inside, before she could take more than a few steps into the apartment, the light next to Mary Margaret's bed flicked on.

"Where have you been?"

"Long night," Emma told her with a sigh. She walked over to her friend and flopped down on the bed next to her. "Moe French robbed Mr. Gold."

"I heard about that."

"That's not all," Emma replied. "Mr. Gold kidnapped French and beat him half to death before I stopped him."

Mary Margaret let out a sharp gasp. "What?" She sat up, shifting the covers around her. "Oh my God, is he okay?"

"Well he's in the hospital," Emma said, "But he'll live." She smiled smugly, "I did get to put Mr. Gold in handcuffs which was satisfying."

Mary Margaret didn't take the same pleasure out of the situation that Emma did. Her face still somber and she cast her eyes downward. "I just can't believe he would do something like that, it's terrible."

Emma frowned as she thought back to the events of the day, more specifically on the violent shouts that Mr. Gold had proclaimed as he had brought his cane down on Moe French. More specifically, she kept thinking about this woman that was at the center of it all. What had happened to drive a man to such violence? She wished she knew.

"Mary Margaret," Emma began carefully, "Have you ever seen Mr. Gold with a woman before?"

Mary Margaret looked a little surprised and shook her head, "No."

"Really, no mention of a girlfriend or anything like that?"

Now the other woman looked a little confused…and horrified. "Emma…are you interested…?

"God no!" Emma quickly cut in after she saw where that was going and Mary Margaret looked relieved. "Ugh I don't want to imagine," and she gave a mock shudder. "No it's not like that." She sighed again. "When he was beating up Moe French he kept mentioning a woman. 'She's gone; it's your fault. You hurt her' and I wanted to know if you had any idea who _she_ is."

Mary Margaret was quiet for a bit before she shook her head again. "No, I can't think of anyone that Mr. Gold has shown any interest in. He's always kept to himself."

"Yeah, I noticed," Emma said dryly.

But the other woman looked sad again. "It sounds like something terrible happened, I can only imagine what it could have been to drive him to do something like this."

Emma shook her head. "I don't know, but he blames Moe for it."

"I can't see Moe French hurting anyone."

"Well, Mr. Gold thinks otherwise." She was quiet and just lay there staring up at the ceiling for a while, just thinking about how convoluted this whole situation was. "I can't shake the feeling that there is more to this, more than anyone can see."

Mary Margaret was somber. "People keep secrets for a reason."

"Yeah," Emma said, "usually because they're too afraid to let anyone else see them." She had her own secrets, lies that she was telling Henry. She hadn't told him the truth about his father and she was keeping Henry a secret from his father. Secrets could be kept for good reasons…and bad. What Emma didn't know was which side of the spectrum this situation fell on.

She shook her head and let out a groan. "I have to go talk to Moe in the morning, get his statement."

"You should get some rest. That can wait until morning."

"It is morning," Emma reminded her.

"Later in the morning."

"Yes, mom," Emma teased lightly before hauling herself up off the bed so she could seek out her own for a few much needed hours of sleep.

Still, she had a feeling that something big was going to happen with the rising of the sun…she just couldn't shake it.

* * *

Emma pulled her car up outside of the hospital in the early morning hours, she was tired after the long night and she still only had three hours of sleep under her belt. It had been a while at the station getting Mr. Gold booked, she had to admit, she was exhausted but slapping the cuffs on him had been worth it.

Now she had to get Moe French's statement on what happened the night before. Emma wasn't looking forward to that part of the job, she had already seen Mr. Gold beating the man to a bloody pulp, she wasn't sure what else needed to be said. Her day was already starting off bad; there was only one thing that could possibly make it worse.

Regina was walking up to the hospital at the same time as her, in her high heels and professional demeanor; she looked like a gorgeous Cruella deVil. "What are you doing here?" Emma asked, she didn't bother to hide her frustration.

"Well I understand there was an incident last night," Regina said in a voice that was as sugary sweet as coffee sweetener…and just as fake. "I wanted to see how Mr. French was doing."

"Why am I not surprised?" Emma mumbled as she walked through the doors.

Moe French was looking terrible. His arm was broken; he had a brace around his neck, thick bandages around his head and cast on his leg, not to mention the IV that was in his good arm. But he was awake.

"Sheriff Swan," He murmured drowsily, "and the mayor…what a privilege."

"How are you feeling, Moe?" Regina asked, she could really lay it on thick when she wanted to.

"Better with the morphine."

Emma's lips twitched at that statement, she could believe that. "Mr. French," she began, "we have to discuss what happened last night."

"Right now?"

"Just tell me what you can."

Moe sighed heavily and gave her the Reader's Digest version of the night before. Apparently he'd stepped outside of his home because of a noise when Mr. Gold had surprised him. He'd been knocked down and woken up in his old van before being taken to the cabin and beaten within an inch of his life. Emma could pick up the story from there.

"Well then, that should be enough," Emma said, putting her pen away.

"What's happened to Mr. Gold?"

"He's in lock up right now," Emma explained, "until he can be arraigned for the charges against you. The charges on _you _won't occur until after you leave the hospital, which won't be for a few weeks."

Now Moe looked alarmed. "_Weeks_?"

"You don't have to worry," Regina assured him, "I'm certain that the judge will be sympathetic to you after everything you've been through." It took everything Emma could muster to keep herself from rolling her eyes.

But Moe didn't calm down in the least. "No, I can't stay here for a few weeks, I have to get home _now_."

"That's not going to happen," Emma stated.

"But what about Rose?"

Emma had a feeling this was the morphine talking. "Look, I'm sure you can get a neighbor to look after your roses."

"No," Moe exclaimed, "not my roses. _Rose_! My granddaughter."

"You have a granddaughter?" Emma asked, her eyes widening and mouth dropping open. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Regina had a very similar expression on her face, so it looked like madam mayor didn't know _everything_ in her town like she thought.

Moe nodded meekly. "She's alone right now, I have to get to her."

"She'll be okay," Emma said, trying to assure him. "What about her mother?"

A pained look passed over Moe's face. "Her mother…my daughter, she…she left, not long after Rose was born."

"She left her daughter?"

He nodded. Regina stepped forward with a firm expression on her face. "What about her father?"

"I don't know who he is."

Well this was getting even more interesting. Emma sighed, it looked like she was going to have to find a place for this kid to stay. "All right, I'll swing by your house to get her. How old is she?"

"Eighteen months."

That stopped her. "You mean a baby is _alone_ in your _house_?"

"Yes."

Oh crap.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It was a mad dash to Moe French's home with Emma breaking every speed limit but since she was the law then it didn't count. She ignored the fact that Regina was following her; she had more problems to worry about then Regina sticking her nose into her business. Still when she got out she stopped Regina at the door, "Don't you have mayoring that you have to get back to?"

"I am concerned about the welfare of that innocent child," Regina replied.

"You don't think I can take care of this?"

"I had no idea that Mr. French had a granddaughter," Regina explained, "forgive me for being concerned."

"Fine," Emma mumbled and took the key hidden under the mat to unlock the door.

The house was completely silent, filled with cheap knickknacks and a few family pictures. But Emma didn't stop to look at the scenery; she was concerned because there wasn't the sound of a baby crying. Oh God if something happened to that baby…

She ran through the house opening one door only to find the bathroom, she opened another to see it was simply the way to the kitchen. Where was the baby's room?

There was a door down the end of the hall, across the way from a separate room. She tried the door on the left and felt a rush of relief.

The room was decorated like a fairy garden; beautiful flowers were painted on the walls with painted grass and butterflies, bees, and ladybugs. Roses…tons and tons of beautiful red roses. And across the room next to the window was a crib. In a few steps Emma looked in to see that a beautiful baby girl with dark brown hair and perfect round features was fast asleep, clutching a stuffed purple butterfly. A light blue crystal in the shape of a teardrop hung just above her head, it's facets catching the sunlight softly.

She breathed a sigh in relief. "Oh thank God, she's still asleep."

Emma turned around to see Regina looking around the room with an odd expression on her face, she looked a little…disappointed. "It looks like there is no reason to be concerned, he's been taking excellent care of her."

"Well it is a bit strange that nobody knew she was here," Regina pointed out.

But Emma shrugged it off, if Moe French wanted to keep his family to himself, then that was his problem. She sighed, "Looks like we'll have to get someone to come and take care of her until he gets out of the hospital."

"And then is arraigned for larceny."

Emma groaned. "So what do we do?"

"Well I would suggest putting her in social services but you were so opposed to that idea with the Zimmer twins," Regina replied smugly.

She rolled her eyes. "You said yourself that he probably won't get charged so all we have to do is find someone to take care of her for six weeks."

"You're right," Regina said and her smile brightened, "I'm certain you'll find someone capable, until then…"

"Oh no!" Emma stepped forward, "I can't take care of a baby."

"Ms. Swan, you took in the Zimmer twins…I assumed you would be willing to take care of this one as well." Regina looked down at the baby, "Of course I could call child services…"

Emma knew when she was being manipulated she also knew that she couldn't find a way out. What she didn't know was why Regina was so determined to keep Rose French close by.

None of that mattered; she was still suddenly responsible for an eighteen month old.

* * *

Emma wasn't sure how much stuff a baby needed but she packed everything that looked essential. That included several changes of clothing, diapers, sippy cups and many many toys. She figured what she missed she could come back and get back later. At least Rose was quiet, she didn't fuss when she woke up but did whimper just a little when Emma picked her up. The worst part was every so often she would say, "Gampa?"

That was pretty sad.

Emma picked her up out of the car and carried her up to the apartment she shared with Mary Margaret. Her roommate looked startled when she walked in, staring open mouthed at the baby. "Uh…wh…hello?"

"Mary Margaret," Emma said simply, "this is Rose."

The woman stepped forward and smiled at the little girl. "Hello there, you're a pretty little doll." Rose blinked and smiled before bringing the purple butterfly up to her mouth. "What is Rose doing here?"

"She's Moe French's granddaughter…"

"Moe French has a granddaughter?"

"A lot of people have been saying that today," Emma muttered. She handed the baby over to Mary Margaret who was definitely more equipped to handle this. "Apparently his daughter ran off not long after the kid was born, nice huh?"

"I didn't even know he had a daughter."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Mary Margaret smiled and brought the butterfly up to Rose's nose, gently playing with the baby. "But why is she _here_?"

Emma sighed. "She doesn't have anybody, her grandfather's in the hospital for the next six weeks, her mother is gone and apparently there is no father so that means…_I'm_ stuck with her."

By now the teacher's heart was melting. "Oh but she's so adorable," she cooed.

"I knew you were going to sound like that."

Mary Margaret looked up at Emma. "It won't be so bad, it's only temporary."

"That's not going to stop me from looking for someone else to take her in," Emma declared.

The teakettle began to whistle and Mary Margaret stepped forward and held out the baby for Emma to take. "Here, I was making some tea, would you like some?"

"No, I'm good."

But Rose apparently didn't like the loud noise. First she whimpered and then she began to cry, her face scrunching up and tears spilling down her round cheeks. "It's okay," Emma said trying to be soothing, "It's just a little noise, it'll be gone in a moment." But Rose didn't stop crying even after Mary Margaret took the kettle off of the stove. "What am I supposed to do?" She asked her friend.

"Bounce her a little, just try and calm her down."

"Bounce her," Emma repeated, "bounce her." She tried that, jostling the baby in her arms. Rose cracked open her eyes and looked confused, she hiccupped twice and then stuck her thumb in her mouth, her eyes kept a wary gaze on Emma. Well at least she wasn't crying. "I don't think she likes me."

Mary Margaret laughed lightly. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

"You'd be surprised." Emma walked Rose over to the sofa and sat her down. "Stay."

Rose looked up at her forlornly. "Gampa?"

"Ok, that again. No, Grandpa isn't here, but maybe we will see him later," Emma told her gently.

"Has she eaten yet?" Mary Margaret asked.

"No…what do babies eat at her age? Milk or…or mashed up stuff?"

"I think I can whip something up."

Well at least one of them was comfortable with the situation. Emma looked back down at the baby who was sitting on the sofa, still sucking on her thumb. Her eyes were on Emma as if she would hold all the answers. Well, she didn't have any.

"Hey Emma!"

She looked up to see her son standing in the doorway with a bright smile on his face. "My mom left early so I came to see you."

"Oh…that's great," Emma said hesitantly. She knew that the arrangement was for her to stay away from Henry but there was little she could do when her son was determined to seek her out anyways.

Henry set his backpack on the ground, "I have a few minutes before I go to school did you want to…who's that?"

Emma looked down at the baby on the sofa and then back to Henry. "You're little sister, she just came in the mail today." Henry gaped at her and Emma did take a little pleasure in his comical expression. "Just kidding. She's Moe French's granddaughter."

"What happened to Mr. French?"

Emma sighed, unsure of how much to tell Henry, "Well," she stressed out that word to several syllables, "He got on Mr. Gold's bad side when he stole some of his things and Mr. Gold kidnapped him and…hurt him a little bit." Henry gave her a look that said he wasn't stupid. "Okay, he hurt him a lot. So he's going to be in the hospital for a few weeks and that makes Rose here my responsibility."

Henry stepped over and sat down next to the baby. "She's cute."

"Yeah, she is," Emma had to agree with that one.

Rose seemed to like Henry, she smiled at him and crawled the few inches closer to him. She reached up and played with the buttons on his jacket and Henry seemed to enjoy trying to make the baby laugh. With both of them occupied, Emma took the opportunity to put Rose's stuff away in the apartment before checking on Mary Margaret in the kitchen.

Her friend some fruit out and was fixing up some toast. "You think the kid is going to eat that?"

"She has teeth," Mary Margaret explained, "We'll try a few things and see what she likes. Children can be picky at her age."

"Or any age."

That made Mary Margaret smile. "It's going to be okay, it might be nice having a baby here."

Emma just shook her head. "Give it a minute."

"Uh…Emma?" She heard Henry's voice from the living room, "Rose kind of…smells."

"And there it is."

But the woman smiled again, "Sounds like she needs to be changed."

"I got that message," Emma replied but she didn't move an inch.

Mary Margaret was no fool; she studied Emma for a second. "You've never changed a diaper have you?"

"I didn't have any friends with kids…or many friends."

There was that sympathetic smile again for a moment but then that look of determination took over. "Well now's a good time to learn."

"Oh…I don't know…"

"She could be with us for six weeks, Emma."

Emma groaned in defeat. "It's going to be a long six weeks."

A few minutes later both women were kneeling on the floor with the baby lying down on her back in front of them, babbling a little to herself while Mary Margaret explained the steps to changing a diaper. "You have to use the baby wipes to wipe her clean, front to back so she doesn't get sick."

"Okay."

"Did you get any baby powder?"

"No," Emma admitted, she was just glad she'd actually brought the wipes, or rather that they had been in the bag with the diapers and she'd accidently brought them.

"Well that's okay," Mary Margaret said, "we can get some later." She laid the fresh diaper down and scooted the baby onto it. "Then you fold this part to the front and take these tabs here, and put them down here and there you go!" She held up the baby to show that the diaper stayed on firmly. "All done."

"Cool!" Henry declared.

"That's one way to say it," Emma said dryly. She carefully took the soiled diaper and put it in the trash, not bothering to hide her disgust. She quickly walked over to the sink to wash her hands. "You seem to have this handled, do you think you can watch her today."

Mary Margaret gave her a look. "I have to go to school in fifteen minutes."

"Oh…yeah," Emma said dejected. She groaned. "What am I supposed to do with her then?"

Mary Margaret shrugged. "I guess you'll have to watch her." She walked over and put the baby in Emma's reluctant arms.

"You're kidding right?"

"You'll be fine. Just bring extra diapers and some cereal for her to snack on, if you have any problems just run over to Granny's and she'll help." Mary Margaret said while simultaneously gathering her things. "Come on, Henry, I'll walk to school with you."

Henry rushed over to pick up her backpack and scampered to the door. "Bye, Emma!"

And then Emma was alone with the squirming baby in her arms.

Terrific.

* * *

For the second time in his long life, Mr. Gold found himself in a prison. Emma had left him locked up throughout what remained of the night with the delusional idea that he would sleep. Being locked behind bars was not something that relaxed him into dreams. Before, back in their realm, he'd hardly slept at all after Charming and Cinderella had thrown him into that miserable hole in the ground. At least this dungeon didn't have rats.

He heard Emma's footsteps coming from down the hall at 8:30. He thought she'd be there much earlier, fearful that he could have escaped somehow. If he'd had magic he would have, but alas he was lacking in that particular gem. He was sitting on the little cot, not even unmade, when she walked in.

"Wake up, Gold, I've got…" she stopped when she saw him sitting there, "Oh, you're already up."

"Indeed," he said, but any interesting return he had planned died instantly as surprise took over. Emma did indeed have a bag from Granny's diner in one hand, but the other arm was occupied holding a squirming toddler.

"Hope you like bagels," Emma said, tossing the bag on her desk. The child let out a squeal and reached for the cup that held an assortment of pens and pencils. "No, no, no," Emma said, pulling her little hand away, "You'll poke your eye out."

"I understand money being tight at these times, but babysitting seems rather juvenile for you," Gold said with a smirk.

Emma glared at him. "Shut up, this is all your fault anyways."

"Oh really, and how is that?"

"Well for starters, you're the one who beat her grandfather half to death."

All humor died swiftly. "What?" he said in a gasp. He reached for the bars to use to hold his weight off his bad leg as he climbed to his feet. "Sh-she's his granddaughter?"

"Yep, and apparently a big secret around here. Not even the mayor knew about her."

Emma set her down on the desk and the child let out a coo. She reached up and plucked the pink hat from her head and threw it on the ground. Emma let out a sigh and bent down to retrieve the hat, but Gold was utterly transfixed by the riot of chestnut curls that tumbled from her head.

_Belle_, he thought. She was unmistakably Belle's daughter. But how?

He remembered another dungeon. Her dungeon. He remembered throwing her in there and then storming off to let loose his rage. He remembered returning after he couldn't destroy that chipped cup. He remembered her pleading eyes, begging for him to believe her. He remembered ignoring her words of love since they couldn't possibly be real. He remembered taking her innocence, her willingness in giving it despite his coldness. He remembered walking away after to mull over what they had just done. He remembered returning and telling her to go. Most of all he remembered her walking away and how that crushed him because a small part of him did believe and only wanted to call her back.

Could it be?

"How old is she?" he asked.

"Eighteen months."

Emma was too preoccupied with setting up the child's playpen to notice that her prisoner was now shaking and several shades paler. He was gripping the bars, straining to get a better look at the girl, but that was impossible in his position. His plans were further thwarted when Emma picked her up and set her in the playpen, setting a bunch of toys in there with her.

"There you go, Rose," she said, "You…have fun I guess."

Rose. That was her name, in this world at least. He couldn't possibly know what Belle had actually named her. Still, it was a lovely name and it suited her. Surely Belle's child was just as beautiful as the flower she was named for.

"Can I see her?" he asked.

"What?" Emma stopped short of her desk, giving him an odd look.

"I'd like to have a look at her."

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

He couldn't exactly tell her the truth, that he was desperate to confirm his own suspicions that he had fathered that child. He just needed to see if he could see some of himself in her or if…he hated to think what else Belle might have endured while trapped in that tower.

"Idle curiosity," he said instead.

"Yeah well, I may not be great with kids but I know you're not supposed to hand them over with criminals, especially since you're the one who attacked her grandfather."

Emma sat down at her desk to prove the point that she wasn't going to give him his request. It wasn't unexpected, this just meant he had to be more creative.

"Where is her mother?" he asked as an opener. He knew the answer far better than she.

"Gone," Emma said simply.

"And the father?"

"Moe didn't know who he was," she said, "And since he's now in the hospital, our beloved mayor said either I hand her over to Social Services or she stays with me."

"How generous of you."

"Yeah well, I've been in her position and no one was willing to take me in, so I figured I'd do what they didn't." She took out his breakfast from the bag and walked around the desk to hand it to him through the bars.

"Are you expecting me to break out in applause?" he asked.

"Just take the bagel and use your mouth for something other than talking."

"Then I suggest you use your eyes for watching," he said, "Because children at her age have a habit of getting into trouble and that playpen is dangerously close to that electrical outlet."

Emma turned around and sure enough, the pen was next to an open socket and while she wasn't by it yet, her little fingers would probably find it soon enough.

She shook her head and groaned. "This is going to be more work than I thought."

Gold ate his breakfast and watched as she taped paper over all of the open sockets and moved things around in case Rose got adventurous and knocked something over. Rose amused herself with her toys, creating a game of throwing them up against the walls of her pen and laughing when they bounced back. This stopped abruptly when she hurled a block and it came back to hit her in the head.

"Crap!" Emma shouted at the first wail, "Crap, crap, crap, crap!"

"I would suggest being careful with your words around her," Gold said as she scooped up Rose, "She's at that age where she'll repeat much of what she hears."

"Thanks, but I'll take my advice from someone who isn't being charged with assault," she said, bouncing the still crying toddler on one hip. "It's okay, you can stop crying now."

He couldn't help but find her failure vastly amusing.

"Please, Rose, please stop crying." Emma let out a frustrated sound and reached into the pen for stuffed butterfly toy. "Look, it's your butterfly. You like your butterfly, don't you." She waved it in front of her face, but that achieved nothing. "Okay, you don't like that right now."

Emma tossed it back into her pen and searched around for some clue. "I guess I can call Mary Margaret."

"Want my advice?"

"No." Emma held her cell phone by using her shoulder, but after a minute let it clatter down to her desk. "Damn it! She's not picking up."

Rose continued to wail, her face red and wet from her tears. It had been amusing at first watching Emma struggle, but that had faded fast. Rose could be his daughter and he could already feel those rusty parental feelings creeping up on him. It was frightening how quickly that happened.

"Turn on the radio," he said, "The music might soothe her."

Emma didn't argue with him now. She flicked the old dial and after burst of static some song sung by Elvis came on. The curse had supplied him with enough memories to where this song was supposed to be familiar to him, but he knew he'd never actually heard it before. It did work in capturing Rose's attention. After a few more bounces from Emma she forgot all about why she was crying and started babbling again.

Emma sank down into her chair while Rose toyed with her blonde hair. "Thanks," she said to him.

"It was no trouble," he said in reply. He didn't look at the sheriff as he spoke. He watched as Rose first played with Emma's hair and then became transfixed by her bracelets. He wanted to see more of her, to see what else of Belle he could find there. He had thought he'd lost everything of her when she'd died, but now a piece of her was there in the room with him. That alone was squeezing his heart into jelly.

After a while, Emma returned Rose to her pen. She played by herself for a while, but wisely without throwing things. Soon enough she fell asleep. Bae had done that too when he was her age after he'd cried. Now two painful regrets were warring in his head and there was nothing he could do to escape it.

He didn't offer up anything when Emma asked what he wanted for lunch. He just shot her a mutinous look. She ordered her own food and he didn't even glance up when Ruby arrived with her lunch. He was sure the little she-wolf smiled at the sight of him behind bars, but she didn't stay long enough to gloat.

"Pastrami," Emma called out to him once Ruby had left, "You want half?" He glanced over at her as she took a bite of her lunch. "You know I still owe you that favor," she said over a mouthful, "Nice fatty pastrami, delicious way to clear the books."

She was grinning at him from her desk. "While I don't need a reminder that you owe me a favor," he told her, "When the day comes that I make my request, it will be for more than half a sandwich."

She smiled back at him, clearly unaffected by the fact she still owed a debt to him. She could tease and ignore the point all she wanted, but one day he would use that favor. And he was certain she wouldn't like it.

The sound of footsteps caught both of their attentions. Emma looked surprised to see Regina there, but that was quickly replaced with joy when she saw Henry was with her. Gold wasn't surprised in the least.

"Sheriff Swan, I'm letting you have thirty minutes with Henry," Regina announced, "Take him out, buy him ice cream," she said as she turned around to meet Mr. Gold's eyes.

"You want me to leave you alone with the prisoner?" Emma gaped at her in shock.

"Twenty-nine and a half minutes," Regina threatened.

Henry beamed up at his birth mother. "Hi Emma."

"Hey," she whispered back, but then caught Regina's attention, "I can't leave Rose," Emma reminded her while pointing to the sleeping child in the pen.

"I can watch her," she said, "I have raised a child before."

Emma glared back at her for that painful reminder and then looked across the room at Gold. "Bring me back a cone?" he suggested to show he was perfectly fine with this situation. He knew he had business with the mayor that needed to be private.

"Just this once," Emma said to Regina. She reached behind her and grabbed her coat from the rack. "Come on," she said cheerfully to Henry, "Let's go."

Henry ran out of the room with Emma following hot on his heels. Gold didn't doubt they would fill up those thirty minutes with as much chatter as possible to make up for their lost time. He certainly envied Emma's ability to talk with her son. He knew the pain of being separated from a child all too well.

But at that moment it didn't matter. Regina was looking at him through the iron bars with that supercilious smirk on her face. "Well," he said, "You really wanted that little chat, didn't you?"

"Apparently this is the only way I could do it." He could hear the laughter in her voice. He knew just how to ruin it.

"Please," he said, taking pleasure in that word, "Sit." He pointed to the couch in front of his cell.

She remembered that order from their realm well. Her smile broke and she stalked over to perch herself on the arm of the couch so she was sitting directly in front of him.

"Now when two people both want something the other has a deal can always be struck." He met her eyes again to confirm what he already suspected. "Do you have what I want?"

Regina smiled that victorious grin. "Yes," she savored the word.

Gold felt himself drain with relief and at the same time fill his heart with hatred. "So," he said, "You did put him up to it then."

"I merely suggested that strong men take what they need."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh yeah and you told him just exactly what to take, didn't you?"

"We used to know each other so well, Mr. Gold," she said, and he knew she wasn't meaning just those twenty-eight years here, "Has it really come down to this?

"It seems it has, yeah," he said, "But you know what I want," he pointed to himself, "What is it you want?"

"I want you to answer, one question." She held up one finger for effect. "And answer it simply. What's your name?"

He grinned a little. He knew exactly what she wanted, but he wanted to toy with her a bit first. He was always good at finding loopholes. "It's Mr. Gold."

She narrowed her dark eyes at him and leaned forward. "Your _real_ name."

"Every moment I've spent on this earth, that's been my name."

"But what about moments spent elsewhere?"

He put on his most perplexed expression. "What are you asking me?"

Unfortunately, Regina wasn't falling for it. "I think you know. If you want me to return what's yours tell _me_ your _name._"

Gold shook his head just a bit but couldn't help the smile that came over him. He couldn't trick his way out of it, but he could savor the moment as she waited for him to talk. She thought she was so clever. She'd never realized how he'd played her so well.

"Rumplestiltskin." He enjoyed the look of anger that flashed in her eyes as she realized she'd failed to keep him under her control, but only just a moment. It was her turn to hold up her end of the deal.

He grabbed the bars to pull himself towards her as he hissed, "Now give me what I want."

"Such hostility?" she asked.

"Oh yeah."

She eyed him for a moment and then opened up her purse. He watched as she reached inside. "Over this?" she asked, bringing the chipped cup out for him to see.

Gold felt his throat close up at the sight of his most valuable treasure. He reached for it, but she waved it out of his reach. She continued to toy with him as she said, "Such a sentimental little keepsake."

He finally grabbed it, glaring at her as he spoke. "Thank you." He plucked it from her hand, "Your majesty."

He carefully drew the cup through the bars and then sat down on the cot. Gold let out a sigh of relief to see that it was unharmed, at least no more than it already was. He turned it around and around while tracing out every inch of it with his fingers. Finally, he simply cradled it in his hands and looked back at Regina. "So," he said, "Now that we've been honest with each other, let's remember how things used to be, shall we?"

He smiled at her just a bit. "And don't let these bars fool you, dear, I'm the one with the power around here. I'm going to be out of here in no time." He leaned forward and said through gritted teeth, "And nothing between us will change."

Regina hooked her hands around the bars and pulled herself as close to his face as she dared. "We shall see." Her words were strong, threatening and completely delusional. She just didn't know about that last part.

She started to walk away, but her dark eyes landed on the little red playpen tucked quietly in the corner. They had both forgotten that they were not alone. "It appears things have already changed," she said with a smile, "She's lucky that she favors her mother."

"You knew," he hissed through the bars.

"I assure you, I had no idea," Regina said truthfully, "I actually gave you far more credit. I never thought you were a connoisseur of virgins." She grinned wickedly at him, tilting one brow up. "She was a virgin, right? Or had she already been touched by her tall, dark, fiancé?"

"Don't you dare speak of her," he growled low with caution.

"And to think I actually pitied her," Regina said. She'd never been one to take warnings from him. "I thought her father was wrong to call her the beast's whore. Now I see why he locked her in that tower, why he starved her, beat her." She smiled at her old nemesis as his eyes darkened with renewed rage. "Why he tossed her body in a ditch and let the crows pick her clean."

"You viperous witch!" Gold shouted, rattling the iron bars with his fists. He intended to hurl more insults at her, but the sharp cry coming from the playpen silenced him. Regina followed his gaze to the child who continued to sob from being rudely awoken. He knew what she was going to do just from her smile.

Regina walked to the pen and scooped Rose up into her arms. "There, there," she said soothingly, watching Gold the entire time, "No need to fret, little one. He didn't mean to disturb you."

Rose sniffled, rubbing one small hand across her eyes before laying her head on Regina's shoulder. It boiled his blood to see her holding Belle's child. What was worse was that she knew it.

Regina took a long look at the child in her arms while trying to coax her back into sleep. "I think I understand it all now," she said, "I couldn't believe that he would let _your_ child live. And you know, I don't think he did." Her blood red lips curled up as she spoke, "I don't see you in her. Those clerics must have done more than flail that poor creature."

Gold wasn't entirely sure that she was speaking truthfully, but she was playing with one of his biggest fears. Had Belle been raped by those disgusting men? He had wondered that before when he'd first heard of her death. She'd had to have been beaten down and so broken to the point where she hardly cared about anything anymore when she threw herself off of that tower. Defilement could have been one of those ways.

Regina placed Rose back into the pen once she was asleep once more. "You should be grateful, Rumple," she grinned over her nickname for him, "You never struck me as the fatherly type to begin with."

She didn't know how much that hurt him. He'd been careful to keep Baelfire a secret ever since he'd lost him to this world. Partly because it hurt so much but mostly so no one would know about his own weaknesses. He'd made that mistake with Belle and this is what had brought him here.

Regina stayed by the pen to continue with her self-assigned duty of watching Rose. Gold chose to ignore her, but his hands continued to roam over his returned cup. Regina couldn't possibly know for sure that Rose wasn't his child. She might be right, but he knew her primary goal at that moment was to cause him pain. That was why she stood there humming an lullaby because she knew he burned to see for himself if Belle had given him a daughter. She would use her against him, just like she'd done with Belle.

He couldn't be forced from his task now, not when he was so close. Gold had no choice but to pretend disinterest. He would act like he believed Regina completely and so Rose meant nothing to him but more pain at what her mother had endured. But he would find out the truth. He had to because the question was too impossible to ignore. Even though either answer was sure to hurt him.

* * *

_It was a blinding rage that Rumplestiltskin found himself in, he wasn't even seeing anything in front of him anymore, he wasn't feeling anything except memory. The memory of her soft lips touching his, the feeling of pain receding, power draining as familiar emotions crept back, looking at Belle briefly through eyes that were not clouded by darkness and power._

_ 'It's working' she'd said._

_ And so it had._

_ But that was impossible! He'd taken a vow; he was the Dark One, the monster, the beast. No one could love him and he couldn't love, wasn't supposed to love anyone or anything._

_ 'This means it's true love'_

_ No, it couldn't be. He'd lost that when he'd lost everything else and to even hope for something like that was a betrayal. _

_ He didn't even realize what he was doing until he saw the glass shattering as he pounded his old walking stick against the cabinet again and again. He was destroying all of the trophies he had collected over the years but they didn't matter. They didn't mean a damn thing if he'd sacrificed every step he'd taken towards his goal…for her, for love._

_ "I will do nothing else, I will _love_ nothing else."_

_ Love nothing else._

_ "This means it's true love."_

_ He dropped his stick and leaned against the now broken cabinet in defeat. He'd failed. He saw that now, he hadn't even known it until now but there was no stopping what already was. He loved her._

_ But she couldn't love him, that was impossible._

_ Rumplestiltskin stepped over to the long wooden table where the tea set was. The one she had touched so often. He snatched up one of the cups and threw it at the stone column, it gave a delicate smash as it splintered into pieces. He threw another, and another and another and then the cream pitcher. He reached for the next teacup and stopped._

_ The chipped cup._

_ She had knelt on that floor wearing the long gold gown, looking both defiant and afraid. "It's chipped…you can hardly see it."_

_ 'Smash it' he commanded himself, 'It's just a cup.'_

_ But his hand didn't listen to head…but to his heart._

_ He loved her…but he couldn't have her. She couldn't love him, not if she was turned against him by the queen, not when he was the wretched creature who only existed to destroy this world for the next. No, he couldn't have her, he couldn't love her. He had to stop._

_ But how._

_ He had to destroy her. It was the only way._

_ Rumplestiltskin set the cup down with a harsh thud before striding away with determined steps. He made his way down the long corridors, his goal set on the dungeon below where he would finish what he had started._

_ With a slight flick of his wrist the door to her dungeon room opened and he saw her sitting against the wall, her knees drawn up to her chest and her face buried in her hands. When the door opened she looked up startled and he saw fresh trails of tears down her cheeks. "Please," she began earnestly, "please listen to me."_

_ "What more could you have to say?" he asked her coldly._

_ "I…I love you," she stammered, her eyes were slightly red making the blue stand out even brighter._

_ "Do you?" he began, stepping into the cold room. He sneered at her, "The beauty loves the beast? Who would believe that? No one has wanted me in all the world and I'm supposed to believe that _you_ do?"_

_ Belle stared up at him with hopeful eyes. "Yes."_

_ Oh how he wanted to accept that. But she would hate him for what he was going to do, it was the only way._

_ Rumplestiltskin knelt down next to her so his lips were only a breath apart, enough to taste without actually touching. It wasn't a kiss; there could be none of that. But he heard her breath catch in her throat; saw the flush creep over her cheeks and sensed her heartbeat accelerating._

_ He whispered two words. "Prove it."_

_ She looked up at him confused, the naïve little innocent. Well not for long, not if her love was real._

_ He reached over and let his beastly fingers touch the soft white skin of her throat, like he had fantasized about for these many months. Her pulse quickened once more under his fingertips and his other hand found her waist, molding her closer to him. That was when he heard her gasp and here eyes widened with realization of what he truly meant._

_ He waited for her to pull away, to break the spell and prove once and for all that she was nothing more than liar. He wanted her to, because if she did then he would have lost nothing, he would have hurt no one but himself and it would be so much easier to slip away and continue what he must._

_ But she didn't._

_ Instead she placed one hand over his and kept his grip firm, making it clear that his touch was welcome._

_ And all was lost._

_ He pulled her dress down over her shoulder, baring more skin for his touch, his lips. She didn't resist. Not when he began to undress her, not when he did the same for himself, and not when he laid her down on the small cot and covered her pale beauty with his disgusting form._

_ She never whispered a word of protest, she didn't fight him in the least. No, she welcomed his touch. He knew that from the way she sighed whenever he found a sensitive spot and the way she clung to him as she discovered this pleasure for the first time._

_ He was gentle when he hadn't intended to be. He wanted to prove to her he was a beast but his heart wouldn't allow him to treat her as such. Not when she flinched at the pain when he took her innocence, and not when he saw the pain recede to pleasure as he took her again. For a moment he forgot again, forgot what he was supposed to do and lost himself in the moment of loving the woman who had snuck into his soul like a thief and snatched away his heart._

_ But when pleasure was done the darkness crept back again._

_ She lay beneath him, running her soft fingertips over his back tilting her head up to look at him with a dreamy expression on his face. That expression changed to sadness when she began to see that he still looked at her with cold eyes._

_ He stood up and began to dress again, not looking at her again. He heard her sit up but she didn't reach for her clothes, didn't hide her naked body even as he could feel her eyes on him._

_ "Do you believe me now?" she asked softly, innocently and he felt the pain in his hardened heart once more._

_ He glanced at her once but not again. Then he fiercely stormed out of the dungeon and let the door close and lock behind him._

_ She had his answer._

* * *

Regina dropped Henry off at his weekly session with Archie. The cricket had yet to forgive her for the pressure she'd put on him weeks ago, but he continued to treat her cordially. She sometimes wondered if these sessions were actually helping Henry or bringing him closer to Emma, but for now she decided it was best to continue. Pulling him out now would only draw suspicion. She would deal with Emma eventually.

For now she had another problem. Rose.

Regina didn't know how she had missed that child and that boiled her blood. She would have had a great use for her had she known. She would have to concoct a new plan though. Gold would want to know the truth, she knew that. She would just have to steer him in the wrong direction. He already believed one lie. It shouldn't be too hard making him believe another.

With Henry in session, Regina had some time to make a visit to someone else. Someone she hadn't seen in a long time.

She strode through the hospital, careful not to meet anyone in the eye. She had a purpose and being seen glancing around would only attract attention. She walked past Radiology and saw Moe French sitting in a wheelchair out of the corner of her eye. How ironic.

There was a door simply labeled EXIT with a red sign, but a keypad was set to the side of it. Regina began to punch in the code, but stopped at the final digit. She glanced over her shoulder at French, but he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were heavy and seemed to be glazed with drugs. She pushed the final button and the buzz signaled that the door was unlocked.

Down a flight of stairs waited Nurse Matilda in her usual pristine white uniform and perfectly arranged hair. She stood up when she saw Regina coming towards her. Regina smiled at her, producing a long stemmed red rose to her as a gift. It was her own private joke.

Nurse Matilda accepted the rose. "Pretty," she said absently.

"Well, I know how hard you work," Regina said, "Has anyone been to see her?"

The nurse shook her head. "No ma'am, not today." A hint of a smile curved her lips. "Not ever."

It wasn't surprising news to Regina. No one even knew that this asylum was here. That's because the people in this place all belonged in her dungeon back in her home realm. That included the prisoners.

Regina walked through the dank, dreary corridor, tugging her sleeves down a little to ward off the chill. She passed Gregor, the janitor who cleaned the place. He was the mute back home who would feed the prisoners.

Cell number 11 stood unlabeled beside the other rooms on the block. But unlike it's brethren, it was not unoccupied. Regina stopped in front of the door and slowly lifted the viewing hatch. She smiled at who sat inside.

The girl who was once Belle was awake this time. She sat on the slab that served as her bed with her knees bunched up to her chest. Her head was bowed towards her lap. Her face was concealed by the curtain of her lovely brown curls. They didn't spring with vibrant life like her daughter's, not in this place.

She looked up when she realized she was being watch, eyeing her visitor with confusion. Regina smiled at her prisoner. It had taken too long to capture her back in their world. She had tried to use her magic to find her once she'd discovered Rumplestiltskin had turned her out. She'd had to resort to far more clever means to acquire her. Obviously something had been left behind.

"I knew you were hiding something from me," she said to the prisoner, "But I never dreamed it was something so…precious."

The girl, Alayna as the Curse had dubbed her, blinked in confusion. "What?" she asked.

No. She had no idea what she was talking about because her memories of before were gone. And here…well Regina had never seen the need to give her false ones. But Regina knew the truth and since she couldn't hold it over Belle's head then she would do it to Alayna.

"I don't know how you managed to hide her from me," she said, "but that doesn't matter. He won't get her, I'll make sure of that."

"I—I don't understand," Alayna said.

Regina smiled at her and shook her head. "No, you wouldn't."

Then she let the hatch door fall closed, slamming against the door with the satisfying sound of metal striking metal. She was sealed back inside from all prying eyes.

Including _his_.

To Be Continued

* * *

A/N: Next chapter: Emma struggles to learn how to take care of a toddler, Rose is welcomed by the people of Storybrooke and Gold continues to wonder if he could be her father. Please review so we can hear what you think. We love reviews, they are like candy to us.


	2. Hello and Goodbye

Disclaimer: If we owned Once Upon A Time, we wouldn't be writing fanfiction. We'd be writing the show. So nope, not ours.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Soooo sorry this took so long. Life got into the way big time, but it's here and I hope you all enjoy it. We mostly see a lot of Rose in this chapter and learn a bit more about Alayna. You also see Emma begin to see that caring for a toddler isn't a picnic. That last part is so much fun, LOL.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: Things will start falling into place here as Emma learns a bit more about Alayna and Gold gets a good long look at Rose. Everyone needs to pay attention to little Rose, there is a lot more to her than meets the eye.

Anonymous Reviews: If you can log in, please do we love to respond to reviews.

**mariana:** I'm glad you liked it, but it might be a while before Belle remembers Gold or Rose. Keep reading and see.

**giu:** You need more? Well your wish is our command.

**reviewer:** Don't worry, Emma will make a serious effort into finding Rose's father very soon. That is part of the plot here is Emma discovering the truth about Rose's parents, thus inadvertently discovering our favorite love story. You'll see more tweeks to episodes in later chapters, but this chapter is a between-the-episodes one.

**kana117:** So glad you liked it. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter too.

* * *

Chapter 2: Hello and Goodbye

The alarm went off at six o'clock as it did every morning. Emma opened her eyes and glared at the red digits, then fumbled for the clock while seriously considering throwing it up against the wall. She had never been much of a morning person, but today was worse than usual. Normally she could sleep through the night without an eighteen month old child screaming every few hours. Yet another reason to despise Mr. Gold.

She felt half-delirious with her lack of sleep as she stumbled to her dresser and grabbed the first clothes she could find. For a minute, Emma missed her old apartment with a large closet, better heating and no toddler with superhuman lungs. But she knew that she'd made the move for the best reasons. It really was amazing how Henry had muddled things up for her and yet she couldn't find any reason to mind.

She managed to not trip down the stairs on her way down to the main floor of her shared apartment. Emma glanced around and saw that the kitchen and living room were empty. "Mary Margaret?"

"I'm over here," she replied. Emma looked and saw that her roommate was over by her bed. She could hear Rose cooing nonsense from that direction as well.

"Rose needed a new diaper," she said, "You can use the bathroom first."

"Thanks," Emma said as if Mary Margaret was offering her a kidney.

She stood under that stream of hot water for a good twenty minutes, letting it soak away her fatigue and worry that she was in way over head. She longed to just stay in there until the water got cold and her skin wrinkled like an old woman's, but Emma knew hiding wouldn't solve anything. At least not here.

She quickly dried her hair and changed before leaving the bathroom. Mary Margaret was helping Rose flip through a picture book on the couch. "Good morning," she said once she saw Emma.

"Hey," Emma said in reply, "How are you so chipper? You were the one she slept with last night."

Mary Margaret gave her an apologetic look. "Oh, I'm sorry Emma. I thought maybe you might have slept through it all."

"I only woke up the first six times," she said, trying to smile like she found the whole thing funny. She flopped down into the armchair closest to the couch. "I thought only newborns didn't sleep through the night."

"I'm sure it's just all of these changes," Mary Margaret said, "She's in a strange place with strange people. She was probably nervous and that's why she was so restless."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"I think we should get her crib and more of her things. That might make her feel more comfortable." Rose let out a whiney noise that brought Emma's eyes to her, but Mary Margaret just began to bounce her around on her knee. It worked to quiet her down, making her giggle a little.

"You could also ask Moe French about his routine with her," Mary Margaret went on, "Don't worry, Emma, she'll get used to things and it will get better."

"God I hope so."

Mary Margaret glanced over at the clock on the wall. "Oh, I better hurry and get ready. How about breakfast at Granny's?"

"Sure."

"Great." Mary Margaret lifted Rose off of her lap and held her out to Emma. "Watch her while I get ready."

"Um…okay." Emma gingerly took Rose, holding her the way Mary Margaret had but Rose didn't seem at all comfortable with her. Instead, she eyed Emma like she was trying to decide if she could trust her or not.

"What should I do with her?" Emma called out towards Mary Margaret's bedroom portion of the apartment.

"Play with her, read her a book, talk to her. She's still learning to talk."

"Okay." Emma looked down at Rose who now had her thumb in her mouth, but was still looking at her curiously. "So…it's nippy outside, isn't it?"

Rose just slurped on her thumb some more.

"Uh, do you want to look at your book again?"

Rose blinked and then pulled her wet thumb out of her mouth. Her dry hand reached up and grabbed a lock of Emma's golden hair and then gave it a firm tug.

"Ouch!" Emma cried. She pulled her hair out of Rose's grasp.

"Ouch," Rose said, laughing a bit.

"That's not funny. That hurt."

Rose didn't seem to understand the scolding. Instead, she inserted her thumb back into her mouth. Emma looked around at the room, trying to find something to do that would make the kid stop looking at her like she was something completely bizarre. TV. Kids loved TV, that could work.

Emma stood up from her chair and sidestepped the coffee table. She didn't see one of Rose's blocks on the ground and stepped on it, one corner digging into the arch of her foot.

"Ow!" she cried out, hopping away, "Shit, that hurt."

"Sh-it?" Rose said uncertainly.

Emma's mouth fell open in a silent gasp while Rose tested the word again, this time more firmly. "Shit?"

"No!" Emma half-shouted, "No, no, no, no, no! Don't say that. Stop saying that."

"Shit."

"Rose, please, stop saying that. It's a bad word. Bad word, got that? Bad word."

Rose laughed, patting Emma's shoulder with her drool covered hand. "Shit."

Emma groaned, putting her head in one hand. "Damn it."

"Damn," Rose said, finding this new word just as much fun as the last one.

"No!" Emma cried again, "Rose, stop repeating what I'm saying, okay? Stop."

Rose blinked at her again. "Damn?" she asked her with uncertainty.

Emma collapsed to the side, pulling Rose with her so she lay on her stomach. "I give up."

She let Rose fiddle with the shiny buckle on her belt while she berated herself internally. She was terrible with kids, that was plain to see. At this rate, Rose would be on her way to juvenile hall at the age of three.

Emma was so relieved when Mary Margaret came out the bathroom, still as bubbly as ever. "How'd it go?"

"Great," Emma said, "I got her to curse twice."

Mary Margaret gaped at her for a second. "What?"

"It slipped out," Emma explained, "And she seemed to think it was fun to say." Emma shook her head at her own foolishness. "I think she'd be better off raised by wolves."

Mary Margaret let out a chuckle. "It's all right. You're just new at this is all."

Maybe, but Emma was still glad when Mary Margaret held out her arms to take Rose back from her. The toddler immediately perked up, wrapping her little arms around the teacher's neck and laughing. "Come on, Rose, let's get dressed and then we'll introduce you to the town."

Emma watched as her friend toyed with Rose, making the child giggle with ease. This woman didn't even have a child and yet she already knew how to act like a mother to this motherless girl. Emma knew she cared about Henry, knew even a part of her wanted to be his only mother…but could she really do it?

Seeing Rose laugh as Mary Margaret poked her in the belly button gave Emma a wash of fresh, cold doubt. Sometimes she wondered what the hell she was doing in this sleepy little town. Now was one of those times.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoO_

Granny's was always pretty busy for breakfast, but luckily one table was still available for the three of them with Rose sitting comfortably on Mary Margaret's lap. Emma and Mary Margaret liked the occasional meal at the diner so normally no one even glanced at them when they walked in the door. Of course, normally they didn't have a babbling toddler with them.

Rose was oblivious to the stares that were directed at her. Instead she locked eyes on Ruby and pointed at her with one finger. "Red!"

Ruby had one coffee pot in her hand and she glanced down at her short red shorts and then fingered the streaks of red in her black hair. "How'd you know my favorite color?" she teased, smiling at the child.

"Ruby, this is Rose," Emma said, "Rose, Ruby."

Ruby grinned back at Rose and waved her free hand. "Hey, Rose."

Granny had been in the kitchen when they came in, but she always liked to greet her customers so upon hearing the bell she walked into the dining area through the swinging double doors. She smiled brightly when she saw Rose, now completely oblivious to the two adults who brought her.

"Why hello there, little lamb," she crooned softly, "Aren't you just the prettiest little girl I've ever seen."

Rose smiled and waved one small hand at her in greeting. Granny chuckled and stroked her hair. "This is Moe's granddaughter?"

"Word travels fast around here," Emma said.

"That poor man," Granny clucked her tongue in sympathy, "I always knew Mr. Gold was cold and cruel, but I never imagined him doing something like that over some trinkets."

It was on the tip of Emma's tongue to tell the woman the truth, that it probably had nothing to do with the robbery but with some mysterious woman. But she decided it didn't really matter anyways, especially while Rose was babbling and attracting even more attention.

"You three go sit down," Granny shooed them over to the empty table, "I'm sorry I don't have a high chair."

"That's quite all right," Mary Margaret said, "We'll manage."

They sat down at the table and Mary Margaret wisely pushed her silverware away from Rose's wandering hands. Ruby took out her notebook and pen. "What can I get you?"

"Ham and cheese omelet," Emma said, "And lots of coffee."

"Pancakes and coffee," Mary Margaret said and then bounced Rose on her knee, "And a small glass of milk for her."

Ruby wrote down their orders and smiled. "I'll be right back."

Despite the fact that they were now seated, the three ladies were still the favored sight of the whole diner. Emma shrugged it off and ignored them, Mary Margaret stared at the table with a blush on her fair cheeks, and Rose hummed and babbled while eagerly gazing at each and every new face.

"If it's not an imposition," Archie said from the booth he was sharing with Marco, "May I ask where her parents are?"

Emma shrugged. "Moe said her mother ran off and he didn't know who her father was."

"That's terrible," Marco said in his heavy Italian accent, "Every child is precious. I always longed for one of my own."

Emma met his eye and grinned. "You want her, you can have her."

They all laughed while Marco shook his bald head. "I'm afraid I'm too old to handle one so young. But she is beautiful."

Mary Margaret nodded. "She is and she's as sweet as can be." She looked across the table at Emma. "I think we're going to enjoy having her with us."

"Maybe if she sleeps at night," Emma said just as Ruby appeared with a pot of hot coffee. "Bless you."

"Rough night?"

"Just load me up," Emma said, feeling much better at just the smell of the coffee. Ruby poured each of them a cup and then set down a little paper cup with a lid and straw for Rose.

"There you go, kid," she said, "Your orders should be up in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Ruby," Mary Margaret said.

Rose showed she was beyond bottles by taking the cup and slurping the milk noisily through the straw. "Oh and Ruby," Mary Margaret called out to her before she left, "Can you find maybe some paper and crayons so she doesn't get bored?"

"Sure, coming right up."

Emma shook her head at her roommate and smiled enviously. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Understand her so well," Emma said, "I mean, she's like a total stranger to me, a stranger I have no idea what to do with. But you know what to do with her and you've only known her for less than a day."

Mary Margaret smiled at her. "She's a child, her needs are simple. I'm not reading her mind."

"But how…" Emma sat back into her chair with a sigh. "You just know more about kids than me, don't you?"

"It's my job," Mary Margaret reminded her gently, "You just need more practice is all."

The bell dinged above the door and this time the attention was drawn away from Rose and to the visitor. David Nolan walked inside and immediately found Mary Margaret, something Emma silently noted.

"Uh, David, hello!" Mary Margaret greeted him a bit louder than was necessary and her cheeks immediately pinked.

"Hi," he said, his smile brightened when hers did and Emma followed his eyes as they sought out Mary Margaret's face. It was when Rose let out an "Uh oh!" as her cup slipped from her grasp and spilled milk all of the floor, that David noticed her.

"Oh dear," Mary Margaret said, but David was already there to pick up the cup and set it back on the table. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said, smiling at Rose, "And who is this lovely lady?"

"Rose French," Emma said, "She's the florist's granddaughter. She's staying with us until he gets out of the hospital."

"Right, I heard about what happened to him," David said.

Ruby came over with some towels to wipe up the mess. "I'm sorry, Ruby," Mary Margaret said.

"No use crying over spilled milk," she said, "Don't worry, I'll get her another cup. Coffee, David?"

"Yes, to go."

"Coming right up."

David rocked back on his heels, briefly meeting Emma's eyes ever so often but mostly focusing on Mary Margaret. "So, how are things with you?"

"Fine," she said.

"Busier with the toddler," Emma remarked.

"I can imagine."

"She's great, though," Mary Margaret said, and then looked down at Rose. "Can you say, hi, Rose? Hi?"

"Hi," Rose said brightly.

"Well hi back," David said.

"Hi," Rose said again.

David chuckled. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Okay, this could go on for a while," Emma interrupted.

Ruby showed up at that moment with David's coffee. "Here you go."

"Thanks," he said, handing her the appropriate amount of money. He looked back at Mary Margaret. "Hopefully I'll see you soon."

"Yes," she said in reply, "That would be nice."

Emma would have broken the moment up for herself, but Ruby did the job for her by arriving with their food. "Goodbye," David said and then looked at Rose and waved with his free hand, "Bye Rose."

"Bye bye!" she said happily.

Ruby surprised them by setting down a third plate, this one holding a pancake cut up into bite sized pieces with a whipped cream smiley face at it's center.

"Oh, Granny didn't have to do that," Mary Margaret said, "I was going to share with her."

"She insisted," Ruby said, "Said it was on the house."

"Tell her thanks for us," Emma said. Rose picked up one piece of pancake and placed it into her mouth, her eyes brightening at the sweetness of the syrup.

Emma shook her head at her with a grin. "You've got to tell me your secret to getting people to like you, kid."

Rose's response was to grab handful of whipped cream and smear it all over her mouth. Emma just laughed. "Thanks, I'll try that."

* * *

Emma didn't smile as she unlocked the holding cell doors with the jarring sound of scraping metal. She had been pretty satisfied when she'd locked Gold up; it was no surprise that she didn't express any joy at releasing him back into the free world. "Well your bail has been approved."

"Was there any doubt?" he quipped as he rose to his feet, one hand firmly holding the chipped teacup.

Emma rolled her eyes. "No." she held the door open for him. "You're free to go."

He stepped out of the cell, grateful to be let out of his prison. He had a particular distaste for cages and iron bars after being locked up by Snow and her shepherd turned prince turned husband.

"You're arraignment won't be for a few weeks," Emma replied dryly, "You can't leave Storybrooke until then."

He almost laughed a little, there wasn't any chance of him leaving, not with this curse hovering all around them. "Oh you needn't worry about that," He gave her a sly smile, "as for the charges, I'm certain I won't have to worry about those either."

She didn't miss what he truly meant, that he would have those charges dropped without ever having to step foot inside of a cell again. The woman narrowed her eyes and her gaze dropped to the teacup in his hand. "Are you going to tell me what the cup is all about?"

He simply gave her his hidden smile. "What do you think, dear?"

Emma simply gave him another quizzical stare, she wanted to know what he was thinking but she was never any match for him. Finally she turned away, dismissing him entirely. But he wasn't ready to leave quite yet, there was something else weighing on his mind.

He had to see the child again.

He had been tormented ever since he'd seen the child, tormented with questions and too few answers. Regina's comments had only made everything worse. It begged consideration, was the child the result of his one dalliance with Belle…or was she the byproduct of torture and rape? Either way he had ruined Belle thoroughly.

"Where is the French child?" he asked, trying to sound indifferent. He had been expecting Emma to bring Rose in and he wasn't afraid to admit that he had hoped to see her again. He wanted to get a look at her, to see if Regina was right, to see if there really wasn't a part of him in her features at all.

Emma gave him a suspicious look. "Why do you care?"

"Oh I don't," he lied smoothly, "just idle curiosity really."

She raised an eyebrow and eyed him skeptically; she was quiet as she debated over whether or not to actually be honest with him. Eventually he knew she decided that there was no harm in a little honesty. "It's Saturday, Mary Margaret has her."

Then she gave him an annoyed look. "Which reminds me that it's _your_ fault that I didn't get any sleep last night."

That perked his interest quite a bit. "She had trouble sleeping?"

"I thought you said you didn't care?"

"You're the one who brought it up."

Emma studied him for a moment but then shrugged it off. "It was nothing, she was probably just confused over where she was."

He could understand that. A small child being uprooted from her home would find a new place strange and bit frightening, it would explain why she would be fussy at night. He couldn't help but feel a longing to have been able to help soothe her, but that was dangerous. She might not be his child; it was best to tamper down any parental feelings, especially in this world.

So he forced himself to appear completely indifferent. "Well good luck with that, Miss Swan."

He kept a firm grip on the chipped teacup as he felt her eyes following him as he walked away. He knew she was wondering what the full story behind his behavior was. She would be disappointed to know that he was only just beginning to discover it himself.

* * *

_Rumplestiltskin stayed away from the dungeon for the rest of the night. He didn't spin or clean up the mess he'd made. Instead he paced the length of his laboratory over and over again. His work was incomplete but he knew he wouldn't be able to focus on it, not with Belle still locked away several floors beneath his feet._

"I think you were lonely. I mean, any man would be lonely."

_ She had been right. He'd seen her, the only woman standing in a room full of men clad in a gold ball gown and he'd decided that he wanted her. It was more than her beauty, it was her spirit. She wouldn't break like some simpering little shepherd girl. She could survive in his gloomy world._

_ He hadn't counted on actually coming to care for the girl. She was supposed to be a living, breathing treasure of his, something else he put out on display but hardly ever noticed on a day-to-day basis. But then she'd chipped that cup, that damned cup and that changed everything. She wasn't just another possession of his, she was a person. He hadn't been able to ignore that._

_ But now she was a threat._

_ Either she was pawn for the Queen or she really…that couldn't possibly be true. Even if she had just given him her maidenhood as her proof._

_ That was a mistake. Not only was it messing with his head but he'd crossed a line he'd never realized he'd set for himself. Rumplestiltskin was the Dark One, the Ogre Killer, the Stealer of Babes, the Dealmaker. He had never been the Pillager of Virgins._

_ There really was only one thing he could do, even if his heart betrayed him by aching at the thought. Each step that brought him down towards the dungeon echoed through the stone walls. He let the hollow sound fill him, giving him the strength he needed to convince himself that he didn't care what happened to her now._

_ He waved his hand and the locks on the door moved and then the door swung open. Belle had dressed and was now sitting on the scratchy bed of straw with a burlap cover to hold it all together. He couldn't help but stare at that cot. His eyes flickered to the dark stain: her virgin's blood. He didn't dare look at it for too long, instead meeting her eyes._

_ She'd been in tears when he'd first come to her, but now her blue eyes were dry. She wasn't frightened or pleading anymore. Instead, she looked resigned._

_ "So," she said with only a small hesitation, "What are you going to do to me?"_

_ He'd already done the worst bit of damage he could. She could never get that back._

_ Rumplestiltskin never took his eyes off of her as he raised his hand and pointed to the open door. "Go."_

_ Once the word was out, he turned away so he wouldn't have to stare at her on that bed again. He couldn't feel guilty, not now._

_ "Go?" she questioned with obvious disbelief._

_ "I don't want you anymore, dearie." He tried to sound natural, like the words were an absolute truth. He wanted her to believe that he'd gotten everything she could possibly give him. None of her services were desired any longer._

_ He heard the straw rustle as she hauled herself to her feet, but he kept his eyes on the stone walls. Her footsteps sounded towards the door but then stopped. He refused to let his heart swell with any hope._

_ But then she did turn around, this time her footsteps were harder with something new: determination. He had to look her in the eye when she stood before him. Luckily, he'd perfected his ability to show nothing on his face during his interminable existence._

_ "You were freeing yourself," she stated, "You could've had happiness if you just believe that someone could want you." She shook her head a little. "But you couldn't take the chance."_

_ He wouldn't yell at her. Arguing would make her believe that her words bothered him, that he thought she was right. "That's a lie." He meant to sound calm, but it came out more restrained._

_ Belle might have noticed this or perhaps she was just determined to believe in her own words. She stepped closer, far too close for him to ignore. He could already feel his body humming to her presence, desperate for him to indulge himself in her once again. But she wasn't trying to drive him mad. She wanted to say her peace._

_ "You're a coward, Rumplestiltskin." That word stifled any lingering bit of longing he had for her. "And no matter how thick you make your skin, that doesn't change."_

_ She had no idea how deeply she'd cut him. He'd told her things about himself he'd never told anyone, but he'd never told her about his life when he was poor spinner with only a son who loved him. She didn't know about how he'd fled from battle and had been branded a coward by the world, including himself. Bae had also called him a coward and now her._

_ But that couldn't be true in this case. He wasn't a coward, not if she was working for the Queen. He reminded himself that his heart had left him a long time ago, stolen from him by the fairies._

_ "I'm not a coward, dearie," he said with the cool, detached tone that he'd been striving for from the beginning, "It's quite simple, really. My power means more to me than _you_."_

_ He must have imagined that flicker of hurt that appeared in her eyes, but then she took another step closer. Gods, she really was a siren._

_ "No," she said softly and then with more strength, "No, it doesn't. You just don't think I can love you."_

'Because you can't!'_ he thought furiously,_ 'No one can, not even me!'

_ "Now you've made your choice," she said and she actually sounded…sad. "And you're going to regret it." She nearly choked when she said, "Forever."_

_ He saw her impossibly blue eyes fill with tears. "All you'll have…" she shuddered in a breath, "Is an empty heart." Her chin quivered and her voice broke while she said, "And a chipped cup."_

_ There was a tiny part of him that wanted to reach out and soothe her, but he quashed that. He couldn't let her lies ensnare him once again._

_ Belle whirled around and stalked out of her cell, but Rumplestiltskin didn't follow her. He stared at the empty space she'd just vacated with her words still ringing in his ears. She was gone, but there was no victory in that. He shut his eyes and willed himself to wait. He wanted to make sure she was truly gone before he left that dungeon, otherwise he might beg her to stay._

_ The only problem was that the dungeon was filled with the memory of stripping her bare, her tender touches and gasps of pleasure. His sanity was at stake before long so he left to seek out the comfort of his spinning wheel._

_ He left too soon._

_ Belle hadn't gone straight for the door as he had thought she would. She went to the trophy room. Her blue eyes drank in the sight of the shattered glass and porcelain for a long moment as she pieced together what his rage had done. She never saw him, but he saw her. He saw that her cheeks were glistening with fresh tears and it took all of his resolve to not reveal himself to her._

_ She found her cloak on the chair where she'd left it, but then she followed the length of the long table with her eyes. They stopped at the bronze vase that held the rose that had once been her sniveling fiancé._

_ She drew the cloak around her shoulders, but never took her eyes off of the rose. He frowned when she walked away from the waiting door, heading closer to where he had hidden himself. She still failed to see him._

_ She plucked the rose out of the vase, drew it up to her face to breath in it's perfume. Just like she'd done when he'd presented it to her that afternoon. A sound escaped her, the noise of a strangled sob. It cut through him._

_ Before he gave in to his heart and took her back, Belle turned around and fled the room. He didn't go after her. He wanted to, but she was right. He'd made his choice._

_ Instead he walked out of that room and mounted the stairs that led to his laboratory. For the second time, he stood in front of the window that looked out towards the gate and he waited to see her. Except now he was waiting to see her leave._

_ When she'd returned from town, her steps had been eager. Now she walked slowly towards the gate. He even saw that she wiped at her eyes. The rose was still clutched in her hand. _

_ Rumplestiltskin watched as she walked through the gate and then vanished from his sight. She was truly gone now. And he was alone once again._

* * *

It was Saturday and that was the day Mary Margaret did her shopping. With the inclusion of Rose, it was going a bit slower than usual. Rose didn't mind. She was a vibrant child and seemed enthralled by every inch of the world around her. It really was odd that Moe French had had kept her to himself. Sure it was a bit embarrassing having an illegitimate granddaughter and only knowing half of her parentage, but in this day and age it was hardly uncommon. Considering his financial problems, she would have assumed he would have asked a neighbor or someone to watch Rose for him but so far no one had ever heard of the child. Perhaps he was just overly protective since he'd already lost her mother.

After the grocery store, Mary Margaret parked in front of the Dark Star pharmacy to get other supplies. They would have to baby proof the apartment now so she sat Rose on one hip while she found the electrical outlet covers and other things to protect her fingers from harm.

"Bug!" Rose shouted all of sudden and pointed in the direction of Archie who looked nothing like an insect.

Archie turned around. "I'm sorry?" he asked with a smile.

Mary Margaret chuckled. "I think she was pointing to the bug spray behind you."

"Oh, that's a relief," he said, "So how are things going?"

"Very well," she said, "Rose seems to enjoy the town."

"Any problems?"

"Aside from child-proofing, no."

"No tantrums or melancholy behavior?"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "No, she's a cheerful little girl. Are you concerned about her, doctor?"

"Just making sure she isn't suffering from neglect," he explained, "it is rather odd that no one knew about her."

"From what Emma's told me, Rose was Moe's first priority. I think she might be a little confused about why she's with us and not him, but other than that she's been perfectly fine."

"Good. I can't think of more perfect caretakers for her." Archie waved his fingers at her. "Bye Rose."

Rose was too distracted by Mary Margaret's hair to wave goodbye. She enjoyed ruffling the short, dark locks and giving them some tugs. "Okay, I rather like my hair on my head." Mary Margaret found a little stuffed puppy and handed it to Rose. "Play with that."

Mary Margaret got batteries, toothpaste, floss and few other things. She even picked up some extra diapers, powder, and cream for Rose. She brought her basket to the counter just as Mr. Clark let out a sneeze. "Bless you," she said.

"Sneeze," Rose said.

"Yes, I did, and thank you," Mr. Clark said. He smiled brightly at the child. "Hello there, you must be Rose French. I've heard a lot about you."

He looked back at Mary Margaret with a somewhat secretive gaze. "My friend Walter told me about what happened," he said in a hushed tone, "That's terrible."

"She's all right," Mary Margaret said, "And Moe will be fine in a few weeks."

"But do you really think Mr. Gold is going to get what he deserves?"

"I know Emma will try," she said, "That's all we can do."

Mr. Clark nodded but his expression wasn't of satisfaction. She knew everyone thought Mr. Gold had attacked Moe simply out of greed, but Mary Margaret had another piece of the puzzle. It was just a small piece, one that provided no answers, but it did suggest that there was more to this battle between Gold and Moe.

Mary Margaret handed the stuffed puppy to Mr. Clark to ring up and Rose let out a whimper of protest. He handed it back to her once the price rang up and she was happy again.

"Thanks," she said once she got her purchases.

"Oh and one more thing." Mr. Clark opened one of the jars of candy on his counter and pulled out a lollypop. "There you go, Rose."

Mary Margaret smiled and shook her head. "I'm afraid Rose is getting used to this treatment. Poor Moe will have to deal with a spoiled child when he's back on his feet."

"Well she deserves a little spoiling," Mr. Clark insisted and Mary Margaret couldn't find any argument. Rose held her puppy in one hand and sucked on the lollypop in the other. Soon her mouth was ringed with red from the candy.

Her car was parked just outside of the store. Mary Margaret had to set the bags down in order to unlock her car, but she never managed to put them inside. Someone tapped on her shoulder, making her gasp in fright.

"Sorry," David's sweet voice said once she'd whirled around, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, its all right," she said. She could feel the blush covering her cheeks which always happened when she was with him. "Um, I was just doing some shopping."

"I can see that," he replied with a smile, "Can I give you a hand?"

"Sure, how about you take her while I put this in my car." David held out his arms so Mary Margaret could put Rose in them. She watched as he tucked the child close to his chest like a natural born father. There was something almost familiar there, like she'd seen him hold Rose before.

No, not Rose, another child, perhaps smaller…a newborn. When she tried to focus on the sensation it became disjointed and cloudy so she pushed it aside. She focused on stuffing more bags into her car.

"Look, I—I wanted to apologize for the other night," he said.

"It's fine," she said. She didn't want to admit that she'd shed a tear over his mix up. Was love really supposed to be this hard?

"No, it was wrong. You were right, we need to find another way…but I don't want that way to be with us apart."

Mary Margaret put the last bag in her car and turned around to look at him. "David, I don't want that either but all of this sneaking around…it suggests that this whole thing is wrong."

"It doesn't feel wrong," he said, "Not to me."

"Not to me either, but you're married. You said yourself you remembered having been in love with Kathryn."

"Yes, I do," he said slowly, "but what I feel for you…I don't remember ever feeling that way for her."

It wasn't exactly the words of love Mary Margaret had silently yearned to hear, but it was closer than she'd ever been before. She couldn't help but smile up at him, wanting him see every secret feeling and thought she'd ever had for him.

She had intended to tell him more, maybe even set up plans for later, but she was surprised when Emma walked up to them with a cheerful, "Hey."

"Oh Emma," Mary Margaret said.

"So you ready to go?"

"Go where?"

Emma blinked at her. "Moe's house. You said you wanted to get more of Rose's stuff."

"Right, yes," she said, "Um, actually I was asking David if he would be willing to help us. You know since he has a truck, it would be easier with Rose's crib."

"Sure, yeah," he said quickly, "I'd be happy to help."

Emma nodded. "Great. We'll see you there." She grinned and nodded towards Rose. "You planning on babysitting for us as well?"

"No," he said, "Just lending a hand." He quickly handed Rose back to Mary Margaret, giving her a quick smile to show her he was fine with her quick thinking. "See you both in a little while."

Rose sucked on the now empty stick of her lollypop while Mary Margaret watched David walk away. It always made her heart ache whenever she saw that. She always had this fear that she would never see him again. That something was going to tear them apart, something always watching and waiting for the right moment to strike.

* * *

It was Mary Margaret's idea to drop Rose off at Granny's so they wouldn't have to watch her while they were busy pulling apart her crib and packing more of her things. Emma was fine with the arrangement since Granny had taken an immediate shine to the toddler.

"We'd better get this done fast," Mary Margaret said as they drove to Moe's house, "Or we might not get Rose back."

Rose had been greeted by Granny with a kiss and a cookie. She didn't seem at all uncomfortable with her, in fact Emma wouldn't be surprise if she would actually complain abut leaving when they picked her up later.

"If Granny wants her, I don't have any objections," Emma said with a smile.

"Come on, she's as sweet as can be. You can't be that anxious to get rid of her."

"No," she admitted, "It's just I'm not sure if having a two year old is really what I need right now."

"It won't be for long," Mary Margaret reminded her.

That was true. Just a few weeks, and…well Rose kind of reminded her of herself when she was little. Not exactly, more like the situation. She had been abandoned by her mother, had a question mark for a father and dark uncertainty when it came to who she could depend on when times got bad.

_'At least she's got Moe. That's more than what I ever had.'_

The French house was a small, one story establishment that needed a good coat of paint and someone to wash the windows. The gardens were well tended though. Moe obviously preferred plants to housework, but what else could one expect from a florist. David was already waiting for him with his truck. Emma pretended not to notice his bright smile towards Mary Margaret.

"You didn't bring Rose?" he asked when he saw they were sans toddler.

"She's getting spoiled by Granny," Emma said.

She pulled out Moe's key and unlocked the front door. It was the first time they were seeing the house and even she took a second look around. Before she'd been too anxious to make sure Rose was okay to take in the house. Moe kept it up well enough though she suspected a woman around would have made it a littler neater and cozier. There were some family pictures, mostly of Rose but there were few of a startling beautiful woman with vivid blue eyes and Rose's curly brown hair. She smiled brightly at the camera, her eyes snapping with some secret fire.

"This must be Alayna," Emma said as she picked up one picture of the woman with a book pressed to her chest.

"Rose looks a lot like her," Mary Margaret said from over Emma's shoulder.

Emma nodded. She wanted to keep staring at that picture, to read every secret of this woman from her eyes, but that was impossible. Alayna was gone anyways so it didn't matter that there was just something odd about the whole thing.

"Rose's room is just this way." Emma pointed ahead to the small hallway.

It was different seeing Rose's nursery in full daylight. Now she could not only see the hand painted walls, but the painted ceiling with a replica of a blue sky with fat, puffy clouds. White, lace curtains hung in the window. A mobile with butterflies, flowers and dragonflies hung over the white crib. A large white wardrobe stood against one wall but there was another door that led to what Emma assumed to be a closet. How many clothes did one baby need?

"Wow," Mary Margaret said, "Moe did a beautiful job in here."

David nodded in agreement. "Rose must mean a great deal to him for him to go to so much trouble for her."

"They only have each other," Emma said. She had to respect a man for taking on the responsibility of a child at his age. "Okay, let's get started."

David found a screwdriver and began to disassemble the crib. "What do you want to do with this?" he said when he removed the blue crystal that hung just at the head of the crib. Emma and Mary Margaret were mesmerized by it as it dangled from his finger, winking in the sunlight.

"Uh, keep it," Emma said and reached out to pluck it from his grasp and then stuffed it into her pocket, "The ceilings are too high to take her mobile anyways.

David went back to work taking apart the crib while Mary Margaret went into the closet to get more of Rose's clothes. "She's growing pretty fast," she said from the closet, "We may have to get her a couple of things ourselves."

"Terrific," Emma muttered, "Maybe I'll send Mr. Gold the bill." David chuckled from where he knelt on the floor but didn't add anything else. "Maybe there's some more stuff in here," Emma said.

She grabbed the handle of one door of the wardrobe and pulled it open. There wasn't a chest of drawers or rows of baby clothes. It was something else completely unexpected. "It's a Murphy bed."

"What?" Mary Margaret called. She poked her head out and watched as Emma pulled the bed out of the cabinet and showed that it was fully made with sheets and even a nice pink blanket. "I guess Moe doubled this as a guest room."

Emma shook her head. "What guests? He has no other family." She looked around the room once more and found a dresser with a picture of Alayna holding her newborn daughter in a silver frame surrounded by teddy bears and other knick knacks. "I think this was Alayna's room too."

Mary Margaret nodded. "I did see some of her clothes in the closet. I guess Moe left all of her stuff here in case she ever decided to come back."

Emma didn't place much faith in that. She knew from experience that when a person abandoned one place, they rarely ever felt the need to return. Still, as she picked up some of Rose's stuffed animals and toys, she kept looking back at that picture of Alayna. There was something not right about this whole thing. She didn't look like the type of girl to have so many secrets.

Running away was an act of desperation. Those blue eyes held so much fire; it just seemed odd that someone so strong would just leave. It reminded Emma of this town in general, on the surface it all made perfect sense but she could feel that there was something off with the picture. A scratch only she could see.

But Emma did what she always did: tucked it away to worry about later. There were other things to think about, such as how the hell she was supposed to take care of a toddler.

* * *

After getting the rest of Rose's things settled into the apartment, Emma decided now was a good time to take the toddler to see the only family they knew of at the moment. At first Emma thought Mary Margaret would want to go with them but then she decided to back out, she had "spelling tests to grade." But Emma caught the shared look between the schoolteacher and the former coma patient.

So she carried Rose into the hospital herself and made her way down the halls to the room Moe French was sharing with what appeared to be an old man in his eighties who was fast asleep. Moe looked sad lying in the bed, most of his limbs were covered with bandages or plaster but his eyes grew large with tears when he saw Rose, his smile proving that they were happy tears. "Rose!"

"Gampa!" The tyke exclaimed and held her little arms out to him.

She stared squirming, trying to wrestle her way out of Emma's arms. "Hold on, kid," Emma said, straightening her out and then setting her down carefully beside Moe on the bed.

He reached out with his one good arm to touch her soft curls. "Oh my little rosebud," He whispered and gently kissed the top of her head. Moe turned watery eyes to Emma. "Thank you, sheriff."

She smiled. "No need for thanks, she's your granddaughter, you should see her." Her tone was casual but she wasn't actually feeling that way. Right now she was actually very touched to watch Rose happily play with her grandfather's eyebrows. It was touching image of family that she'd never had growing up and she'd always secretly yearned for it.

"We're going to keep an eye on her," Emma told him, "She's staying with Mary Margaret and me until you get better."

"Is she okay?"

"Oh she's fine," Emma assured him, "getting spoiled by everyone in town so she's happy." Moe seemed relieved which brought up a question she'd been meaning to ask him. "Why didn't you tell anyone about her?"

Moe seemed startled by the question and then his features drooped as if he was carrying a very heavy weight. "I thought it was best, Alayna and I thought it was best."

"So it was her idea?"

"No, it was mine," Moe explained, "I wanted Alayna and Rose to be safe, I didn't want either one of them to be hurt."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "I know this is a small town but this is the twenty-first century, it's not exactly something people are stoned for anymore."

"I know," Moe said, "but it seemed easier this way."

Emma studied him for a minute and an idea struck her about why the deception might have been necessary. "Was Alayna afraid that Rose's father would find out?"

Moe paled a little at the mention of Rose's unknown father and then he shook his head. "I don't know, she never did tell me who he was."

"She never told you anything?"

"No."

Emma kept a firm gaze on him but could see that he was telling her the truth. The whole situation was frustrating; this kid was turning out to be a bigger mystery than she thought. Who was the father and where was her mother? It seemed to be a miracle that little Rose was the cheerful little sprite she was.

Rose let out a loud laugh and she slapped her hands down on her grandfather's chest. The man let out painful grunt but there was still a smile on his face. "Hey, kid," Emma said, "Take it easy, grandpa's not feeling so hot."

"It's okay," Moe replied, his eyes remained fixed on Rose. Those eyes were filled with adoration and love for the child in front of him.

For several minutes they were quiet except for Rose's cheerful giggles and Moe letting out little happy sighs of contentment. Emma kind of felt like the odd man out but she didn't have anywhere else to go and she was responsible for this child until her grandfather could take care of her again.

That was when Emma remembered one of Mary Margaret's suggestions. "Is there anything we should be aware of? Allergies? A schedule that Rose needs to be on?"

"She isn't allergic to anything," Moe explained, "I usually try to put her to sleep around 7:30 to 8:00, and if she's having trouble going to sleep try giving her a little warm milk."

"Warm milk?"

"It always gets her to calm down."

Emma smiled a little. "Right, she is a little ball of energy."

Then Moe's face lit up. "Susu."

Now Emma was really confused. "Susu?"

"Susu, Suzie Butterfly," Moe explained, "she has a little stuffed butterfly that she loves, she can't sleep without it. She calls her Susu."

"Right," Emma said, vaguely recalling a pink and purple butterfly that was in Rose's crib.

"We got some of her things out of your house," Emma explained because she had nothing else to say, "that's quite a nursery you have there."

"Thank you," Moe replied.

"I like the flower theme," Emma told him and smiled a little wryly, "But I guess it isn't surprising since you are a florist." Even Moe chuckled at that comment. "Did you paint the flowers yourself?"

Now his smile fell and he looked sad. "Actually, that was Alayna."

Emma couldn't hide her surprise. "She painted the nursery?"

"Yes, she did it herself. She wanted to make it beautiful for Rose."

None of this made any sense. How could a woman carry a child, give birth to it, make a beautiful nursery and sleep in the same room and then suddenly decide to just up and leave one day? Who would do that?

Maybe she was thinking through this too much. After all, who would just abandon their newborn baby on the side of the road? _Her_ parents.

"Do you have any idea where Alayna might be?"

Moe shook his head again, this time slowly as if it were too heavy to move. "I don't know, it was like she just…disappeared."

Alayna might have just up and left her daughter, crazier things had happened. But it still didn't sit well with Emma. She was still troubled by this thought when Rose let out another happy shriek.

Moe turned his eyes adoringly to the toddler and he brought one tiny hand to his lips. "How much longer can you stay?"

"A little while," Emma told him, "Take your time, we aren't in a rush. And I'll bring her back as often as I can."

She meant it. She might not like being stuck caring for a nearly two-year-old kid but that was the situation she was in.

But she couldn't stop the nagging feeling that there was more going on then she knew.

* * *

Most people out on bond would cower and hide away from the world to avoid the whispers and stares. Gold was not like most people. Instead, he used his newfound status to his advantage when he went to collect the rents and loan payments from the residents of Storybrooke. They didn't ask many questions before. They asked none now.

He was going to have to get these charges addressed sooner or later. He could bribe the judge, but he had something else in mind. No, beating Moe French for his crimes in another life had never been a part of his plans, but he might as well use it to further his goals. Regina wanted revenge against Snow White and Emma needed to continue to break the curse. Why not assist both women at once, all the while furthering his own goals? It was plan in need of skill and cunning, something he'd always had in spades even if he didn't have magic.

There was only one thing that he had never figured into his plans: Belle. She'd distracted him once and her life had been forfeited in his costly mistake of ridding himself of her. If Rose was his child, he wouldn't make that mistake again. He was going to have to discreetly look into the matter and clear it up before he needed to focus all of his attention on his original goal: finding Baelfire. The first step was to get a good look at the girl and see what he could find of himself was there…if there was anything to be found.

Perhaps it was the Curse trying to torture him or simply the fact that it was a small town with only so many places people could be, but he never intended to be outside of the Modern Fashions boutique at the same time Mary Margaret was there with Rose.

The woman was chatting amiably with the shop owner while shouldering two paper bags. Rose rested comfortably on her right hip and was toying with her scarf. She'd worn a faded white coat to the police station before, but now she was clad in a pink coat embroidered with purple flowers. Judging from its pristine condition, it was brand new.

Mary Margaret didn't notice her silent watcher until she was outside the shop. "Oh, Mr. Gold," she said in surprise, "Were you looking for me?"

"Not at all, Miss Blanchard," he said. Regina had tried her best to mold her into a timid, meek little woman, easy to be squashed. But sometimes Snow White still managed to come through, like now. She wasn't afraid of him, even though she must have known everything from Emma.

He nodded towards her bags. "I see you've been shopping."

"Yes, well not for me," Mary Margaret said, "For Rose here. Some of her clothes are kind of small so I figured we should get her some new ones."

"Mr. French hasn't been providing for her?" She couldn't mistake the bite to his words. Even if Rose wasn't his daughter, there was no excuse for neglecting a child.

"Oh no, she has plenty, it's just she's growing very fast and I doubt he's had time to buy her some new things."

Not to mention the fact that Rose, like everyone else in Storybrooke, had been frozen in time until Emma had arrived. Moe French had never had the need to buy Rose new clothes until now. Of course, Gold knew better than to offer that bit of information up.

"It is intriguing that he kept her all to himself," he said, "I wonder who he could have been hiding her from."

She actually laughed, as if the idea was absolutely absurd. "I don't think he was doing it on purpose. She's young, her mother left her, he likely just wanted to keep things to himself."

Doubtful. Not only was Moe French not worthy of pity, but Gold knew Belle never would have abandoned her child. Just looking at Rose was cleaving his heart in two. She was a miniature replica of his darling Belle, a face he thought he'd only see again in his memories. Maurice had let his daughter died but spared her child. Why?

Mary Margaret's cell phone rang and Rose let out an inquisitive sound. Gold watched as she struggled to reach her phone in her pocket, but that was impossible with her arms full. "Could you?" she asked him after a moment.

He was too stunned to make an immediate reply. Hold the child? Belle's child? "Of-of course," he said.

She gingerly passed Rose over to his good side. He was almost fearful of dropping her, but his arms accepted her like she belonged there. He'd forgotten how he'd cradled Bae when he was a baby, even with his injury still fairly fresh. Those parental instincts never died.

He only kept half an ear on Mary Margaret's conversation with "Emma". Snow White hadn't been much of a liar either, so it wasn't surprising here that her affair with her Prince Charming was so easy to see. Not that it bothered him in the least. That was Regina's territory, not his.

He had wanted a good look at Rose before, but this was far better. The child blinked back at him with curiosity and kept one thumb in her mouth. Belle was everything within this child: same hair, same mouth, same nose.

Not the eyes.

He remembered when he'd first seen Belle in her father's castle. It wasn't the gold dress nor her shining hair that had first captured his attention. It was her eyes, a bright and startling shade of blue. He'd never seen such eyes before. It was almost a shame that Rose didn't share that with her mother.

Almost.

Instead, Rose blinked back at him with dark brown eyes, the color of rich, melted chocolate. When he was Rumplestiltskin, the lowly spinner, he'd been too poor to own a mirror so he'd only seen his reflection in still water. After he became the Dark One, he'd rarely wanted to look at himself nor have other people spy on him through mirrors. But he'd always known that his eyes were brown, just as they were now. Just like Rose's.

He smiled a little and tucked a curl that had spilled loose from her hat behind her ear. Regina would have known this. So it was just a clever way to twist the knife before. She knew no more than he did. He could be her father. In fact, it was likely he was.

Good news coupled with grief. His one dalliance with Belle had probably produced this darling little angel, but he might have thrown Belle out of his castle bearing his child and later died because of it.

"See," Rose said suddenly. She wasn't looking at him anymore, but staring out across the street, one hand stretched towards someone who was indeed watching them.

Regina.

The mayor of Storybrooke smiled that same devious smirk she'd perfected as queen, never once dropping her gaze from his. Oh yes, she'd notice the eyes before. She knew that Rose could be his child and even if she wasn't, she was still a living, breathing part of Belle. He would protect that just like he did the chipped cup. She'd used the cup against him. He had no doubts that she would do the same with Rose.

There was only one course of action he could take.

He couldn't just hand Rose back to Mary Margaret and walk away now, no that would tip off his hand even more. So he waited until she was done arranging a tryst with David to return the child.

"Thank you, Mr. Gold," she said.

"Unnecessary," he said coolly, "Goodbye, Miss Blanchard."

"Bye," he heard her say behind him as he walked away. He didn't glance back at Rose or Regina. He would have to pretend that he'd seen nothing, feign disinterest. It likely wouldn't fool Regina, but it would confuse her enough to throw her off the scent. Right now, the Curse was still too strong and Regina had total control over it. Until Emma weakened it further, discovering the truth would just have to wait.

But if it was one thing Rumplestiltskin had perfected over the years, it was patience. He could wait.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter, Emma fears that she can't handle Rose so she decides to look into who her father could be, but soon discovers that it won't be an easy mystery to solve. A connection between Gold and Alayna is revealed and Regina shows an interest in the search herself.

Please Read and Review, we love to hear what you have to say.


	3. The First Petal

Disclaimer: We only claim Rose as ours, everything else in this fic belongs to the Once Upon A Time gods.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: It took some time, but finally this chapter is here. Emma finally begins her search for Rose's father, but what does she uncover? You'll have to read and see.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: Finally this chapter is done! A few answers to your questions are here but we aren't giving away the farm yet, Emma has a long way to go until she gets to bottom of things.

Anonymous Reviews

**mariana:** We're so glad you liked it, but don't expect Belle to get out of that hospital soon. Emma's looking for Rose's father not her mother, at least not yet.

**blueberrysuite7:** We're always glad when people try out this story and we're glad you liked it. Yeah, Mary Margaret and Rose are cute. I think she'd be great with babies and we wanted to give her a chance to be a mother since she never really got to have that before. Expect more of that in this story.

**giu:** Hopefully you'll find this chapter wonderful too.

* * *

Chapter 3: The First Petal

Mary Margaret had assured Emma that within a week, living with Rose would be routine. It was a week later and Emma was still waiting for that to happen.

It was Mary Margaret who had figured out what Rose loves bananas but hated oranges. It was Mary Margaret who sang her to sleep and knew how to make her warm milk just the way she liked it. Rose adored Mary Margaret. Emma couldn't say the same. After all, she was the one who had had oranges pelted at her, who made Rose cry while trying to sing Rock-a-Bye-Baby and who had burned the milk on the stove. It was "Mawry" Rose called for. She had never once called out for Emma.

Before her twenty-eighth birthday, the fact that a baby didn't laugh and sing the moment she walked into the room wouldn't have bothered her in the least. The difference now was Henry. Emma had a son of her own, one she wanted to love her. If she couldn't get a baby to like her, how could she expect Henry to see her as more than just his biological mother? She wanted him to see her as his mom.

And yet she couldn't get a cheerful little toddler to see her as anything less than a prison warden.

Because of that fact, Emma tried her best to make sure she was rarely left alone with Rose. Unfortunately, Mary Margaret refused to heed to her roommate's desires and insisted that she bond with the child. That was how she wound up watching Rose for the evening.

Emma tried to keep Rose in the living room, though it was a bit of a struggle. They'd had to buy a baby gate recently because she'd become fascinated by the stairs. Now Rose liked to fiddle with gate, like she was seeking out its weaknesses. Emma had to keep tearing her away from the gate and plop her back down in the living room. She managed to find _The Lion King_—borrowed from Mary Margaret's school—and Rose was immediately entranced by life in the jungle.

Emma grinned cockily at her own genius. Of course, TV always sucked in kids. Now she could enjoy some moments to herself while "The Circle of Life" played on in the background.

A cell-phone chirped, but it wasn't Emma's. Still, she eagerly leapt from the couch to snatch it off of the counter next to the freshly baked cookies. Mary Margaret had left her phone for just such a purpose.

"Hey kid," Emma said, attempting to sound nonchalant.

"Hey Emma," Henry said cheerfully, "I mean Mary Margaret."

She chuckled a little, though it did suck that he had to talk to her by calling his teacher's phone under the pretense of needing help with homework.

"Is she home?" Emma asked him.

"No, but she still might be listening," Henry said, "I don't know if she can use mirrors or not here."

"Mirrors?"

"Operation Cobra, remember?"

"Oh right, the Evil Queen and 'mirror, mirror on the wall' thing," Emma said. Well as long as Henry thought Regina was the Evil Queen, at least she knew he would always like her more than his adopted mother. Still, she did want him to drop the fantasy and see the world for what it really was: no magic, no guaranteed happily ever afters, just plain old normality.

"I've been thinking about Operation Cobra," Henry said, "I wanted to know what you thought about Rose."

"Rose?" Emma reiterated, "What about her?"

"It's really weird that my mom didn't know about her. I mean, she's the one who enacted the curse so how did she not know about someone here?"

"I don't know," Emma said with a shrug, "I guess since Rose is a kid, she probably overlooked her."

"Or maybe Rose is special somehow. I've been trying to figure out who her parents are to see if that would give us any clues."

"So what's your theory?" Emma asked. Which fairy tale would he draw from this time? Maybe Rose was a munchkin from Oz or something.

"I don't know," he said with a sigh, "I wish I had my book. I'm sure it would help us."

"Yeah, maybe," Emma said absently, "Look, since we don't have it then there is no point in worrying over who her parents are in your book."

"I guess so," Henry said glumly. He really did miss having his book. Regina never should have destroyed it like that. It didn't matter what she'd said, Emma still thought she'd done it on purpose.

"So, what's going on with school?" she asked him next. She did want them to talk about more than just fairy tales. And moms…well they were supposed to ask dumb questions like this.

Henry didn't seem to mind. He launched in a story about something that happened in science class. Emma listened and offered her own school experiences as garnish to the story. Soon they were laughing and talking like old friends if not mother and son. One day, one day this would all be normal because they would be talking about this in their own home. At least she hoped so. She so wanted to be ready for that.

It was during "Hakuna Matata" that Emma glanced back at the living room floor. It was empty.

"Oh my God!" she shouted, leaping to her feet.

"What? What is it?" Henry called back through the phone.

"Henry, I've got to go. Talk to you later." She hung up the phone and threw it aside to find when she wasn't having a panic attack. "Rose! Rose! Where are you? Rose!"

It took only a turn of her head to find the fugitive. Then it took half a second for her to gape at the scene in horror.

Rose was sitting in the space between the kitchen and the living room. The canister of flour Mary Margaret had used to make cookies was overturned next to her. The fluffy white powder was spread all over the floor.

"Snow!" Rose cried as she grabbed hunks of it and tossed it into the air. It fanned out into a thick, white cloud and covered her completely. The flour coated her skin, stuck to her clothes and colored her hair from a rich vibrant color to a dull mousy brown.

"Snow!" she said again, tossing another handful up and then licking her palm. Her little face scrunched up at the taste. "Yucky!"

"Holy crap, how did you do this?" Emma asked her.

Rose's reply was to put another handful of the flour into her hair.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," Emma said, rushing over to pick her up, "No more flour."

"Snow," Rose said and struggled to get out of Emma's grasp to her reach her new favorite toy.

"No because now you need a bath."

With every step she took away from the flour, Rose's face scrunched up. When she reached the bathroom Rose was sobbing. Rose blubbered as Emma pulled off her clothes. She howled once she was set into the tub. Emma remembered all of Mary Margaret's instructions, but she hadn't taken in the factor of a sobbing child.

Rose didn't sit still in her bath. She tried to stand, nearly slipped and fell over twice. She wiggled out of Emma's grasp, batted away the wash cloths and screamed when Emma lathered shampoo into her hair. Emma only made matter worse when she dropped the bottle of baby shampoo into the tub and soapy water splashed into Rose's eyes. She cried like she'd been scalded with poison.

Finally, Rose was clean. Emma found her some pajamas and wrestled to get her into them. "No! No! No! Want snow!" Rose shouted as Emma forced the pajama top over her head.

"No more snow. Snow has melted," Emma said, "Bid Frosty goodbye and let it go."

That only made Rose cry harder.

Emma had no choice but to put Rose in her crib while she cleaned up the mess. Rose clutched the white bars like they were doors to a jail cell and watched Emma sweep up her "snow", sobbing all the while. This was the picture Mary Margaret walked into.

"Um…what happened?" she asked once she took in the sight of Emma on her knees with the hand broom and dustpan and Rose bawling from her crib.

Emma had been trying to clean up the flour for the past ten minutes with Rose's cries playing as background music. Her wits were frayed worse than weathered old rope. "Kids," Emma said, "That's what happened. A two year old tornado spilled flour all over the floor and then proceeded to roll around in it."

Mary Margaret remained calm in the face of her friend's meltdown. "How'd she get the flour?"

"I have no idea," Emma said and then pointed to the crib, "Why don't you ask her?"

Rose was still crying with her face pressed up against the bars of her crib. Her face was bright red and soaked from her tears. Emma was actually surprised she wasn't dehydrated yet. Mary Margaret clucked her tongue soothingly and said, "Oh, sweetie. It's okay."

"Mawry," Rose blubbered out, "Want Mawry."

Her plea was too much to be ignored. Mary Margaret whispered soothing words as she freed Rose from her prison and held her close. After a few hums of a made-up lullaby, Rose's cries had faded into watery hiccups.

Emma shook her head and hurled the dustpan and broom onto the counter. "Okay, that's it. I can't do this."

"What?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I can't do _this_," she pointed to Rose and then herself, "She hates me. I can't take care of a kid who hates me."

"Rose doesn't hate you."

"Really? Because she certainly doesn't love me," Emma said. She didn't mean to sound hurt by that fact. For twenty-seven years, being unloved by a child hadn't bothered her. It was funny how things changed once she came to this town. "I can't take care of her."

"So what are you saying. You want to give her away."

"Yes."

Mary Margaret gaped at her and then her green eyes narrowed with anger. "You would actually do that? You would give her up to Social Services?"

"No," Emma said with a shake of her head that sent her blond curls tumbling around her shoulders, "I wouldn't do that to her. I just need to find someone else who can take her."

"Who? She has no one else."

That was true. She didn't have babysitters, a nanny or anyone else in this town to help her. Moe was her only family left.

Or was he?

Alayna had left. Even if Emma could find her, it was doubtful she could convince the woman to return to the child she had abandoned. That left her with only one option.

"I need to find her father," Emma said.

Mary Margaret blinked at her. "Her father?"

"Yeah," she said, "She should know who he is anyways and this way she'll have someone else to take care of her if anything happens to Moe again."

Mary Margaret set Rose down in front of the TV with some of her toys and then walked back to the kitchen. "But Emma, you don't even know who he is. How are you going to find him?"

Emma stared at the counter in front of her, blank and empty just like her plan. She hadn't exactly thought this through yet. With the Zimmer twins, she'd had a compass that had pointed her to Michael Tillman. Rose had nothing to offer her in finding her unknown father.

"I don't know," Emma admitted after a while, "But I have to try."

Otherwise she would feel guilty for being too afraid to keep her. If she found someone else, someone who had more responsibility for her, then maybe Emma wouldn't feel like a failure. Maybe she would stop being so afraid of being a mother.

She didn't want to wind up like Alayna.

* * *

_It was supposed to be a season of rejoicing._

_ The ogres were gone, the harvest was coming, and Belle had returned to them after eight months of captivity with the fiend Rumplestiltskin. The Marshlands was in peace and everything was exactly the way it was supposed to._

_ Except it wasn't._

_ Sir Maurice had been lost without his only child and when she'd come home to him he'd thought everything would be fine now. He'd even organized a feast to welcome her home. Though she'd smiled at the guests, Maurice knew his daughter and that smile never met her eyes. She was pretending good cheer, just like she had at her engagement banquet._

_ Belle had taken to her room after the festivities. She rarely ventured down from there. Sometimes he caught her walking through the gardens like a sad little ghost that resembled the girl he had raised. Two weeks after her homecoming, he'd convinced her to go to the market with him, but once she'd seen an old man spinning thread from wool, she'd fled the square. He found her with red-brimmed eyes in the carriage, anxious to be back home._

_ Maurice had given up on coaxing his daughter back into the life she'd had before Rumplestiltskin had come. Perhaps if he knew what had happened in that Dark Castle he might have known what to do, but Belle never spoke of it. She kept every hour of that time locked inside of her. He could only guess at the reason for her tears._

_ He might have thought her melancholy a result of Sir Gaston's disappearance, but she'd shown little remorse to that effect. Other than murmuring an "Oh my, that's terrible," she'd given her betrothed little emotion. Maurice knew she hadn't loved him, he'd hoped that in time she would. But the Belle he knew would have spared some sadness for the man. It was like she'd lost a part of herself and he had no idea how to return that to her._

_ It had been six weeks and Maurice's concern drifted him back up to his daughter's room. He knocked three times on the door and then entered. Belle was sitting in a chair that faced the window towards the north. For a while he stared at her and then at the window._

_ North. It was impossible to see, but Maurice knew that in that direction lay the mountains where Rumplestiltskin's castle sat. Did Belle sit here every day waiting to see if he would come for her once again? Is that what plagued his daughter, fear that the monster would return and take her back to that cruel place?_

_ "Belle," Maurice said her name gently._

_ "Papa," she replied, never looking away from the horizon._

_ He took careful steps into the room, like the floor was made of creaking glass instead of firm stone. "My dear." He put a hand on the back of her chair and stared into her brown curls, the same as her mother's. "You haven't been happy."_

_ Belle made no argument to that point. She had her knees drawn up to her chest with her arms locked around them. She looked like a frightened child, just as she had when her mother had died. She had known everything was changing then and things couldn't go back to the way they were before. Maurice had a cold, prickly feeling that that was true now too._

_ "I've tried," he said, "I've tried to help you, but you remain as you are. Tell me what I can do Belle."_

_ "Nothing," she said, "It's too late. It's much, much too late."_

_ Maurice shook his head gently. "No, Belle, there must be something. You escaped from that wretch and yet you still are with him, I can tell. There has to be a way to free yourself of him."_

_ For the first time in weeks, Maurice saw the corners of her mouth turn up just a bit. Then she shook her head. "I didn't escape."_

_ "What?"_

_ "He let me go."_

_ Maurice was too stunned to utter any other reply than, "Why?"_

_ "Because he is a fool," Belle said with a sigh, some spark back in her words. She rose up from her chair and walked to her bedside table. There was the only thing she had with her when she'd returned, a rose. It was brittle and dead now, but still she kept it. Maurice had wondered but had no heart to ask her why._

_ Belle picked up the dead flower, gently stroking one wrinkled petal with her finger. "Why couldn't he just believe?"_

_ "Belle, I don't understand," her father said, his confusion evident on his creased brow, "Rumplestiltskin swore that you would serve him forever. Why would he break his word?"  
She stared at the rose for a long moment and then her lovely face crumbled like cracked stone. In an instant, Maurice had her in his arms and was stroking her hair just as he had when she was small and had skinned her knee while running in the fields. She sobbed into his coat for a while. Even though he hated to see her in such pain, Maurice thought this might be progress. She'd kept her tears to herself these past few weeks. She was finally letting him in again._

_ "I've been waiting for him," she admitted once the tears had past, "I thought he might change his mind. That he would come and take me back."_

_ So it had been that. Maurice smiled softly and tucked one lock of her hair behind her ear. "Be at peace, my child, I will never let that happen again. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that creature never comes here again."_

_ Belle's blue eyes didn't alight with relief. Her lips didn't turn up into a joyful smile. Her eyes filled with more unshed tears and she shook her head. "Oh, papa, you don't understand."_

_ She walked out of his arms and returned to stand before the window. Her eyes swept out across the lands, ignoring the endless fields of grain and the roads that marked their province. Her gaze was set on the horizon. Maurice didn't see a fearful look of terror at the north. No, his daughter's eyes were eager as they sought out the mountains she knew was there but still couldn't see._

_ "Belle…you…you want him to come for you?" Her silence served as her answer. For the second time, but this time with utter disbelief, Maurice asked, "Why?"_

_ She might not have heard him speak. Belle was lost in her own thoughts, her own secrets. What she did say left him stunned. "Papa, please don't be angry."_

_ "Angry?" he said, "Belle, why are you acting like this? What has happened?"_

_ "Something wonderful," she said and he saw her lips curl upwards again. One hand rested on her belly. He felt that cold fire licking at his insides again. "Papa, I'm pregnant."_

_ He couldn't believe it at first. That was impossible. He knew Gaston had been far too noble to take her to bed before the wedding, but she'd been gone for eight months. She had been with no other man since her captivity with Rumplestiltskin._

_ Then the blood drained away from his face, leaving his skin cold and clammy. "No," he whispered, "No, it can't be."_

_ "It's true," she said, "I'm certain of it."_

_ Maurice shook his head. "He said he wanted you as a caretaker. He showed no interest in you for anything else." His blood pulsed through his veins again with liquid heat. "He lied!"_

_ "No, he spoke the truth."_

_ "Then you do not carry his child?"_

_ "I do," she said._

_ "Then he has dishonored you," Maurice said in a hiss, "I will not stand for this. I will send a message to the king and round up the troops. He will pay for what he has done."_

_ "No!" Belle cried and latched onto his arm, "Please, you cannot do this!"_

_ "I must."_

_ "No, please, you can't. I don't want this."_

_ He softened at her pleas. His daughter assumed that her lost honor had irrevocably bound her to her rapist forever. Those traditions had no place with Rumplestiltskin nor his spawn. "Belle, you don't belong to him because of this. You will never be his, I promise you that. We will exact our justice and rid you of his seed soon enough."_

_ Belle visibly paled and her arms wrapped around her middle. "No, I don't want that. I want this child."_

_ Maurice stared at her, taking in the sight of her hands pressed against her still flat stomach. He had thought she would be relieved. Perhaps she feared the pain that would accompany the poison that would end her pregnancy, but she couldn't be too far along. The risk would be small and the pain would pass. But when he looked into her eyes, he saw that there was fear there. Fear for the child._

_ "Belle, you can't possibly want this," he said, "He raped you. This isn't a child, it's monster like it's sire."_

_ She shook her head emphatically. "He didn't force himself on me."_

_ "He must…"_

_ "He didn't," she said, "Papa, he never harmed me. Not once during my time with him did he ever lay a cruel hand upon me. I gave myself to him willingly."_

_ "You…" Maurice couldn't utter the words. His daughter couldn't possibly have gone to Rumplestiltskin's bed because she desired his touch. It was impossible. Yet, she showed nothing but truth to him in her face. "Why?"_

_ Belle finally smiled, a true smile that lit up her lovely face and brought color back to her cheeks. "I love him," she said with certainty while her father gaped at her with horror. Her hands caressed her belly where her child nestled in her womb. "I want to have his child. I want him to come for us both."_

_ "But—but he's a monster!"_

_ "No," Belle said with a shake of her head, "He is a man. He has just forgotten. He remembered for a moment, just a moment he was a man again. I want to find that man again. He loves me, I know he does," she said with more vigor than she'd had in weeks, "Perhaps this child will help him see the truth, that I do love him, that we can be together the way I know he must want."_

_ Maurice stared at the girl who was supposed to be his daughter. He felt the ice cold touch of fear spread through him again. It was as he had thought for so long. Belle had walked out of her home with Rumplestiltskin pushing her on. She'd never returned from that place._

* * *

Emma's mind was made up, she had to find Rose's father in order to get back some semblance of control in her life. It didn't take long for her to decide where to start, Moe French was the one who knew his daughter best, if anyone had any idea over who Rose's father was then it would be him.

So Emma bundled up Rose and drove the toddler to the hospital. Rose was over the flour fiasco but she hadn't warmed up to Emma anymore either, she simply chattered away at every little thing she saw and ignored Emma entirely. She brightened up considerably as soon as they walked into Moe French's room, so did the older man.

"Gampa!" Rose exclaimed and began to wriggle out of Emma's arms, it took some control for Emma to not drop the tyke onto Moe but she eventually managed to hand her over to her grandfather.

Moe chuckled and held her tight, talking nonsense to the little girl and frequently kissing her head and cheeks. "Oh I missed you so much." His eyes met Emma's. "I hope she hasn't been too much trouble."

Emma had to bite her tongue to keep herself from telling him what she really thought. "Oh she's great, a bit of a handful though." Moe gave her a worried look and Emma knew she wasn't getting out of this one. "She somehow found the flour container and made a bit of a mess, I still don't know how she got it."

Moe smiled now. "She does that, able to get into places like magic."

Henry would have liked that assessment with his wild imagination. Still Emma reminded herself that she hadn't just come here to let Moe French see his granddaughter but also to question him on what he knew. "Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

She hesitated because she had a feeling he didn't know what her plans were. "I was wondering…is there any chance that Rose's father could step up here? Maybe watch her some of the time."

Moe blanched and looked down at Rose for a long time. The little girl was unaware of the heavy discussion and was entirely focused on pushing the buttons on the side of the bed that made it move up and down. Emma wondered if she'd said the wrong thing, maybe there was a very good reason Moe didn't want Rose's father to be involved maybe…maybe Emma had more in common with Alayna then she'd assumed. Perhaps both of them had the same problem with men.

"I…I don't know," Moe stammered out and then shook his head. "No, no he can't help out."

Emma leaned forward. "Is that what he said."

"No," Moe admitted and his lips pinched together in a hard line while his eyes grew very sad. "The truth is, sheriff, I have no idea who he is."

She couldn't very well hide her surprise, how did a man not know who got his daughter pregnant? It didn't make sense. "She didn't know?" Emma said before she could stop herself, wincing at how it made Alayna sound like some woman who slept around.

"She knew," Moe explained, "she just wouldn't tell me."

"You didn't ask?"

"Of course I asked," Moe said quickly, "I asked her many times." Now his blue eyes filled with tears and his voice shook. "One day my daughter tells me she's pregnant and I…I didn't know what to do. I…I didn't take it well," he admitted softly, "I was frustrated and upset that she would let something like this happen and that she wouldn't tell me who he was. I wasn't the best father myself then."

Emma found herself caught up in Moe's story, she almost forgot to breathe. Had he done something to Alayna? No, he wouldn't, not with how much he loved Rose now. "But you came around," she told him; it wasn't a question but a statement of fact.

Moe nodded. "When Rose was born, it was impossible to stay angry after that. I stopped asking and simply accepted that Rose was a gift." But his eyes grew somber quickly, "and then Alayna was gone and Rose was all I had left. Then I didn't want to share her with anyone else."

"I understand," Emma replied and she hesitated before asking, "But maybe it's time to try and find Rose's father, it might be good if you had some help."

"I can take care of her."

"Of course you can," she said quickly, "But right now you aren't exactly in top form." She was quiet for a moment, "Would you mind if I asked around…maybe try and see if I can find out who he is."

Moe didn't say anything but pondered her words for a while. "I'm not sure if you'll find him, I knew Alayna well and I still have no idea who he is."

"Sometimes it's harder to see what's right in front of us," Emma pointed out.

He nodded but still had a very serious expression on his face. "I can't deny that I want to know who he is…but I also don't want to know, if that makes sense."

"It does," Emma said softly, "but believe me, I know that mysteries like this only hurt us in the long run. We have to at least try."

He looked down at Rose and stared at her for a while before nodding his head. "You can try, sheriff but I'm not sure if you'll succeed."

Emma couldn't have said it better herself.

* * *

Regina wasn't normally the sentimental type; in fact there were few things of value that she had brought with her from the Enchanted Forest after starting her curse. But as she watched Snow and her little charming prince start sneaking around…she felt the old familiar pain rising to the surface.

So while angrily trying to plot a new way to keep Snow away from her prince, Regina couldn't help but turn to the one object of value that she kept close. Tucked away in a small box she had Daniel's ring hidden safe. She twirled the simple but precious band around in her fingers, remembering the day he'd given it to her, they'd had such dreams then.

She pressed the cold metal hoop to her lips, trying to recall the feel and taste of him, but it had been so long. She couldn't truly remember everything. It was enough to make her want to cry.

"Remembrance of things past?"

Regina flinched but tried to keep her composure at the sound of Mr. Gold's…or was it Rumplestiltskin's, voice. She hated that he would intrude on her like this, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing it.

She lowered her hand and kept the ring hidden, as if that would keep it safe. "What do you want?" She tucked the ring back into it's little box and shut it.

"I need a favor," he told her honestly, as if it really would be that simple.

"You?" she scoffed, turning around to look at him but keeping the box hidden behind her back. "Need a favor from me?

Mr. Gold simply shrugged and walked towards her. "Well as you know there are battery charges against me pending, I really don't relish the thought of spending anymore time in a cage." He said the last word with disgust and she couldn't help but smile, really she had preferred him being locked up in that prison…actually both of them. "Now," He raised a hand and pointed his finger at her, "someone with your influence, could make the DA suddenly realize what a flimsy case they have." He began to walk towards the large bowl of apples on the table, their bright red color standing out against the stark black and white décor of her office. "Isn't that right, your majesty?"

Regina watched him with a real feeling of satisfaction. For once it appeared she did have the upperhand again. Mr. Gold was in a real bind; the case wasn't "flimsy" at all. If she didn't step in well…there was no chance he was going to get off even with his connections. She had to wonder if his need to avoid prison was simply his desire to remain free…or perhaps he wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding little Rose.

He was questioning it; there was no doubt about that. How could he not? He believed her lies so easily that Belle had been killed, there was no doubt he wondered if the clerics really had raped her. How marvelous it felt knowing that there hadn't been any clerics at all. Yes, the only person who knew that Rose's father was in fact the imp that had been foolish enough to fall in love was Regina herself…and she wasn't going to share that information to anyone.

But if she was going to torture him about this…well it was in her best interest that he remain outside of prison wasn't it?

Still she wasn't going to do favors for free either. "What do I get out of it?" she asked, relishing the moment that she could lay out the terms.

Out of the corner of her eye she noted his sly smile. "Help." He began as if that one word was exactly what she need. "With your Mary Margaret problem." Regina gave him a look that said she wasn't exactly impressed before taking a seat…like it was her throne again. "You see I've noticed that no matter how hard you seem to try to stop them, she and her charming friend just keep finding ways to be together."

Oh she hated him. He knew it was driving her mad to see Snow and Charming together again, to see that her greatest wish was beginning to fail. Regina very much wanted to have the upper hand, to wipe that smirk off of his face…but she wanted to destroy Snow's happiness more.

"What are you suggesting?" She asked but did not show her true feelings.

Mr. Gold had a satisfied look on his face. "If you want to inflict pain," he began, setting the apple down on her desk before slowly taking a seat. "Then you must inflict pain."

Regina didn't react but silently waited for him to continue.

"If something _tragic_ were to happen to David's wife…" Regina turned her head and was unable to hide her surprise at the suggestion, "And if Mary Margaret should take the blame…"

"She'd be ruined," Regina finished, astounded at how neat and simple the solution truly was.

"And you'd have your victory, at last."

Regina liked the plan; it was exactly what she needed. But there were a few flaws. "A trial could be very messy," she pointed out.

Mr. Gold smiled and sighed. "A trial, now who said anything about a trial?"

Now it was Regina's turn to smirk. Oh yes, this was exactly what she wanted.

"Now once Miss Blanchard is incarcerated," he leaned forward in his seat, "you can plant one of your lovely skeleton keys in her cell." He turned his eyes away from her. "And once she tries to leave Storybrooke…" he shrugged, "we all know what happens to people to attempt to leave town."

Yes it was perfect, it truly was. Everything fell into place…except for one thing.

Regina leaned forward in her seat to level her eyes with him. "Give me one good reason why I should trust you."

He smiled knowingly and began to stand up. "Because I always honor my agreements," he told her, "Do we have a deal?" And then he tossed her the bright red apple.

She felt the apple's smooth red skin with her fingertips but never took her eyes of him, her smile growing as the seed of deceit took root. He was right, he never shirked a deal, always following the intent to the letter, even if he did find loopholes occasionally. But she didn't see one here.

"Deal," she told him, her tongue relishing the word that sealed Snow White's unhappy fate.

Mr. Gold smiled again. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, your majesty."

He turned to leave and she almost let him…but she so badly needed to keep twisting that knife. She didn't want him to think he was the one with the real power here after all.

"I'm curious," she began, watching as he stopped in his tracks, "does your desire to remain free have anything to do with Mary Margaret's newest roommate?" He raised his head but didn't turn to look at her; she was only awarded with the slight flinch in his frame.

It took a long moment before he finally turned around and gave her a blank expression. "Now what makes you believe I have any interest in that?"

She smirked knowingly. "The child of the woman you had locked away in your castle? A woman you seduced," she tsked, "you must be wondering who sired the bastard."

"Perhaps," he admitted, "if I truly cared about the child."

He was trying to be nonchalant, trying to make her believe that it didn't matter to him in the least. But Regina wasn't so certain, she knew for a fact that he had loved the girl's mother. The silly woman had all but admitted that the kiss had nearly worked, and true love's kiss didn't work from just one person's heart.

If he truly loved her mother…then that love could very well have extended to the child as well.

Regina couldn't help but smirk again. "I'd be careful Mr. Gold, you know as well as I do that this curse keeps people from what they want."

"You are assuming that I actually want to be Rose's father," He gave her a smile, "you know you shouldn't assume anything, dearie. Now, kindly let me go about my business…_please_."

She frowned as she was unable to stop him from leaving now that he'd said that magic word. She watched him go unsure if she really had gotten what she'd wanted. Was it possible that the man truly didn't want to know? No, he'd loved Belle; it had to be torturing him not knowing.

Still she wasn't very satisfied, not until she turned her mind to what was about to take place. Her revenge was finally going to be complete.

* * *

Rose was left in the far more capable hands of Mary Margaret after Emma had returned from the hospital. She decided to begin her search in the most obvious place: Alayna's room.

It still struck Emma as off when she saw all the work Alayna had put into the nursery for her child, the one she eventually decided to abandon. She had slept in the same room with her, must have gotten up every time she cried, picked out her outfit for the day every morning and rocked her to sleep every night. And yet, all of that bonding hadn't been enough to get her stay.

But wondering over the hows and the whys Rose was left alone without a mother wasn't going to bring Alayna back. All Emma could do was focus on the one parent Rose must still have in this town.

For the first time since coming into this house, Emma ignored all of the baby stuff. Alayna had a Murphy bed, but that didn't seem to do anything else but store a mattress. She went into the closet. Rose's clothes were lined up on one rack, but she could see another row of women's clothes. Alayna obviously was a petite woman since they were a littler short on Emma's frame. They were nice, ordinary clothes. Nothing flashy or gaudy, simple and tasteful. It was about what one would expect for the daughter of a florist on a very tight budget.

There were a couple of boxes but every single one of them was filled with books. Alayna had a full library in her closet, all of them organized by genre. And there were several to choose from: romance, classics, biographies, philosophy, non-fiction and several others. There was even a complete set of encyclopedias.

"You must have been devastated when the library closed," Emma said to the clothes that hung in front of her. Even though Alayna wasn't there to complain, she did carefully replace the books as best she could and return the boxes to where they had been before. It was interesting to see another side of this mysterious woman, but the books didn't help her much.

Emma's only option now was the dresser. There was changing pad tucked into the corner. Emma guessed that the picture and the few knickknacks on top of it were often removed to utilize the space for the baby. Emma opened the first two drawers and found only diapers, burping clothes and baby wipes. The larger drawers had more clothes. The first one was once again filled with Rose's things, but these were more casual, some even stained or frayed. Emma wondered why Moe had saved her old clothes, but couldn't come up with answers herself. She wasn't very sentimental, other than her baby blanket, she never treasured anything.

The bottom drawer held Alayna's things. Again, some casual stuff but also it looked like this was where the dresser's original toppers had been hidden. She found a few silly items, likely left from her girlhood such as colorful nail polish, some trophies and award ribbons and a large stack of pictures stuffed into an envelope.

Emma flipped through the pictures. The date at the bottom told her that this was before Rose was born, even more interesting. Alayna was in most of them. Emma chuckled over one of her wearing an apron, bent over a flattened piece of dough and covered in flour. It was an uncanny picture of her own daughter from earlier.

There were birthdays, Christmases, every day pictures, silly pictures. Emma had basically stumbled upon a giant catalogue of her life before she'd had a daughter. Alayna was an ordinary, vibrant girl who seemed to have a real zest for life. Emma had a feeling she really would have liked her had she known her.

Then Emma found the one picture she hadn't realized she was looking for.

It was near the end of the pile, shoved between a picture of Alayna arranging a bouquet of flowers and one of Moe laboring in the gardens. In all of the other pictures Alayna was either alone or with her father. This one held neither.

Alayna stood with another man, someone Emma didn't recognize. He was apparently close to her age with short brown hair and dark eyes. He was very good looking, well dressed and had a smile that showed a vast amount of confidence. The mystery man had one arm around Alayna's shoulders. It might have been a friendly pose, but this was the only picture in the pile that had Alayna with another person besides Moe.

Emma smiled back at the couple in the picture. It wasn't a compass, but it still was pointing her in a new direction. With a little luck, she had finally found her first clue in the great mystery that was Rose's father.

* * *

In these perilous times Regina found herself heading around her town more and more often, not to run meaningless errands but rather to keep an eye on things. Ever since Emma Swan had showed up she knew her curse was beginning to weaken, things were changing in Storybrooke and Regina didn't like it one bit.

Now people were starting to fall back on the people they once were. Suddenly the scullery maid turned princess had found her prince again, the little urchins had been reunited with their wood-chopping father and worst of all, Snow White was back in the arms of her beloved prince. At least in the latter it was just in secret, there was a small bit of satisfaction knowing that their love was taboo in this world due to David's marriage.

Then of course there was the matter of Rose French, the toddler that no one had known about, not even her. Regina was still fuming over being kept in the dark about the child, the man she'd sent to bring Belle to her must have known about the child as well but he'd neglected to tell her. If she had her magic she might have given more thought to punishing him but Regina knew that being stuck in that house while watching his daughter through a telescope was taking care of her need to squeeze out a few drops of blood as punishment.

She was also more preoccupied with what to do about this child. She couldn't hide her away; it was much too late for that now. No, she had to handle this with some tact, after all she didn't want Mr. Gold to find out that he was the child's father, nor did she want him to pursue custody. He needed to suffer from wondering, from imagining the atrocities he thought Belle had endured. There was no place for happiness in fatherhood here.

As if summoned by her own thoughts, Regina spotted the person responsible for all of these unhappy changes taking place in this town. Emma Swan was exiting her sheriff's car where she'd parked right outside of Granny's Diner. Perhaps now was a good time to try and glean some information on the child. "Sheriff Swan," Regina greeted her coolly, Emma looked as thrilled to see her as she was, "I wanted to know how Rose was doing."

"She's doing fine," Emma stated simply.

"I am rather surprised to hear that," Regina said, "considering your previous experience with young children."

Emma must have felt the sting of that comment but she tried to hide it. "Mary Margaret is good with kids, she knows what she is doing."

"But it still must be difficult," she pointed out, "Taking care of a small child that is suddenly thrown into your life." She gave her a sympathetic smile, "if you are reconsidering sending her to social services, it is certainly understandable."

"I'm not putting Rose in foster care," Emma explained, "her grandfather will be out of the hospital in a few weeks. Until then, I'll take care of her myself or find someone else."

Now Regina was intrigued. "Who?"

"Rose has a father in this town somewhere," Emma told her, "I'm going to find him."

Regina couldn't stop the rush of fear the welled up inside of her. Emma Swan meant every word, if she found out who Rose's father was then all of her plans would be ruined and this curse would be one step closer to breaking. No, she couldn't let this happen, she had to keep her from learning the truth.

She chose to be tactful with her questioning. "I assume this means you have a lead."

"Actually I do," Emma admitted before pulling out photograph. This was something the curse had provided and Regina had to hide her relief at seeing the face of Belle's foolish fiancé and not her one true love. "Do you know him?"

"Actually I do," Regina told her. This was the perfect opportunity to provide an answer that Emma would want. "His name was Geoffrey Knight."

Emma caught the hint. "_Was_?"

"He died a couple of years ago," Regina explained, "in a car accident."

She lowered the photograph. "Great, if he is Rose's father then I'm still screwed."

Yes, it was the perfect ploy, let Emma start chasing a ghost. Still, Regina could not help but want to cause Mr. Gold some more pain, let him have the reminder that he might have a child or might not. "Well, if you want to continue to pursue this your best opportunity would be to see Mr. Gold."

Emma looked surprised by that statement. "Why him?"

"Well he was her employer for a time."

"Alayna worked for Mr. Gold?"

"Yes, as a housekeeper of sorts," Regina explained.

Emma stepped forward, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You knew who Alayna was from the beginning didn't you?"

"I never said otherwise," Regina replied smoothly, "I always knew Moe French had a daughter, I also knew she had left town. I had no idea she had a child," she admitted, "but I never said I didn't know her mother." Now she stepped forward, "You need to stop trying to find suspicions in every corner, I am not the villain here. In fact, I believe I just offered you some help."

But Emma wasn't swayed by her speech, that was obvious by her still narrowed gaze. "What else do you know about Alayna?"

"I barely knew the girl," Regina explained, "like I said, if you want more information you might seek out Mr. Gold."

With that Regina turned away with a satisfied smirk. She knew that Emma would follow her advice and go and speak to Mr. Gold. If only she could see the look on his face as he was reminded of what happened to his dear little Belle.

* * *

Mr. Gold was in the backroom of his shop, taking inventory again. Nothing ever really changed here, but it paid to be busy since it made time go faster now that it had finally started again. It also kept his mind from thinking too much. He could bring down his old spinning wheel from storage, but if anyone cared to walk in without permission (as many chose to do) it would look odd to find him as such. So he was bound to carry on the charade of being a pawnbroker instead of the sorcerer he used to be.

Every item in the store was accounted for so he resolved himself to tinkering with an old watch. Soon enough, the DA would call to say the charges against him were being dropped, the sign for him to continue his promise to Regina. The witch had thought she'd gotten the better end of the bargain, but it seemed twenty-eight years of being mayor had made her forget everything she'd learned from him: sometimes the most powerful part of a spell wasn't the magic but the words. And he was always very good with words.

He heard the bell chime in his shop but didn't care to investigate. If it was Regina then he would excuse her with a please, if it was anyone else then it would serve his purpose to see how desperate they were. He'd learned long ago that power lay in being the one being sought as opposed to being the seeker.

"Mr. Gold?" Ah, it was Sheriff Swan. What could she possibly want now, especially after she'd made her point of never wanting anything from him again? "Where are you?"

He used his cane as leverage to keep the weight off of his bad leg as he climbed to his feet, but he didn't enter the shop just yet. It would be fun to toy with her just a bit.

"You know if you're sign says open then you should be available for customers."

He smirked at that and then finally stepped out of the back. "I assure you, Sheriff, the day you are a customer I will be available for you."

Emma whirled around and gave him a glare that he found more amusing than intimidating. "Look, I need to talk to you about something."

He smiled at her. "Of course, well I'm all ears."

Emma pulled out a picture from the pocket of her jacket and set it down on the counter. "Alayna French," she said as she pointed to the woman in the photograph, "I understand you knew her."

Gold barely heard her. His fingers fumbled as they picked up the picture and held it before his eyes. Belle.

He'd been haunted by her image ever since he'd cast her out. Some days he'd tried to banish her from his mind, others he held her close to his heart. He had feared that even his own magicked mind would one day forget her wonderful face, but now she was there, frozen onto a piece of paper. His throat was tight as his old eyes sought out every curve of her cheek, curl of her hair and the perfect blue of her eyes. There was some joy in seeing he hadn't forgotten her beauty, but his heart clenched inside of his chest. It ached to know this curse had given him the only means to see her face again, but it wasn't real. It was just a copy. Belle was gone, and no image could truly capture her.

"Um, hello," Emma called out. He realized he'd been staring overly long at the picture of his one true love, the one he'd so callously tossed away. "Gold?"

"Oh, yes," he said, "I knew her."

"Regina said she was your housekeeper."

"Did she?" he sneered out. Now this made much more sense. Regina hadn't believed his earlier remarks on Rose and was trying to test him. She knew Belle's memory pained him every day, this was done to torture him.

"Was she?"

"Oh yes," he admitted, "She was my employee for a time. Eight months to be exact."

Emma blinked at that number. "That's not very long. Why did she quit?"

"She didn't," he said, "I let her go."

"Why?"

"Why do you ask?"

Emma stared at him for a long moment. He knew she wanted to know, but her clever mind (yes, she was that, even he couldn't deny that truth) was seeing that he had no intention of telling her even if she did confess why she wanted to know.

"I guess it doesn't matter," she said. Then she pointed to the other occupant in the picture. "Do you remember him?"

Gold stared at Belle's fiancé, what was his name? Gaston. Sir Gaston with the pointy sword. Well he's served a far more useful purpose as a rose than a man. "I saw him once or twice."

"His name is Geoffery Knight."

"Well if you know who everyone is then why come to me for confirmation?"

"Regina said that you knew Alayna well," Emma said, "I'm just trying to find out more about her."

"I knew her," Gold said, "but I would think you would go to her father instead of her employer."

Emma let out a sigh and shook her head. "Look, I'm trying to find Rose's father." He didn't bother to hide his surprise at her words. "I already talked to Moe, but he said she never told him."

"And you assumed she told me?"

"I thought you might have been more aware of who was in her life since you seem to know everyone's business in this town."

He smirked at that bit of truth.

Emma nodded to the picture again. "What about him? Was she seeing him?"

"They had a relationship, I'm sure that's no secret," Gold said, "But he's dead, I'm afraid."

"I know," Emma said. She let out another sigh, this time of disappointment. "I guess that's that then."

He frowned at her and pointed with his finger. "What were you hoping to gain from this?"

"I was hoping that I would find Rose's father and then he could take her in, at least until Moe is better. But apparently that's not going to happen if he's dead."

So Regina had learned something from him: half truths are far more powerful than lies. "I see," he said softly, "You believe he is the child's father."

"It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Then you best call the Vatican and report a miracle," Gold said, "I've never heard of a man siring a child from the grave."

Emma blinked back at him. "What?"

"Geoffrey died well before Rose was born," he told her, "He couldn't possibly have been her father."

Yes, he knew that much was true. Belle had been a virgin when he'd coldly taken her to bed. Gaston had never laid his superficial hands on her. Emma was headed in the wrong direction if she thought that photograph told her anything beyond a chaste relationship, one Belle had never any choice in.

"Are you certain?" Emma asked.

"Quite," he told her, "Alayna was completely unattached when she came to work for me. Geoffrey did not father that child."

Emma nodded. "Well thanks, I guess." She picked the picture up from the counter and stuffed it back into her jacket. He nearly asked to see it again, just because he longed to stare into those eyes. It would do no good, though. She would get suspicious if he did and he didn't want to betray anything that could be used against him by Regina.

"Glad to see I can still be of service to you."

She let out a "hmph" and said, "I'm glad to see that not everything from you comes with a price."

He smiled at her and shook his head. "You forget, dear, that you owe me a favor. Let's just say that's gone up in debt."

She didn't seem startled by that news, just rolled her eyes and headed for the door. He watched her walk out and all amusement left his body. Regina was trying to toy with him again and she was doing a damned good job of it. He would have to keep away from Emma and Rose now. Yet, he had to keep an eye on the Sheriff's latest case. She wasn't the only one curious to know who had given Belle a child.

Yes, it seemed even now he still had a desperate soul.

* * *

Mary Margaret and Rose were playing with blocks when Emma returned from her day of learning absolutely nothing. Rose still had no father and Emma had no clue about where to go next. Maybe tomorrow inspiration would strike, but tonight she was done with disappointments. At least now she knew Rose's father was still alive, that was something.

"Hey," Mary Margaret called once she was inside, "How'd it go?"

"Nowhere," Emma admitted once she'd tossed her jacket aside. She flopped down on the couch with all the grace of a drunken ballerina. "I thought I had a lead, but it turned out to be a dead end, literally."

"What?"

"Nothing," she said with a shake of her head, "It seems no one knows who Alayna was seeing."

"I'm sorry," Mary Margaret said, "Are you out of ideas?"

"For tonight. I'm not giving up yet. I mean, it's not like the stork dropped her off, there has to be a clue somewhere."

"I'm sure you'll find it, but in the meantime we can handle her."

"You mean you can," Emma reminded her, "you're the one she likes."

"Oh Emma," Mary Margaret said with a sigh, "She does like you. You'll see."

"Mm hm." She lay back on the couch and shut her eyes for a moment. This town had so many secrets, why was she the one who had to keep finding them? Well, Henry would say it's because she's the savior but Emma decided to call it her own bad luck.

"Mawry, play," Rose urged.

"Okay, let's see how tall we can make the tower," Mary Margaret said. Then a cell phone chirped, but Emma recognized that it wasn't hers. Could it be Henry calling again?

Mary Margaret found her phone and checked the screen. If it was Henry she would smile and hand Emma the phone. She did smile but then clutched it tightly she her chest. "Um, it's a student calling for help," Mary Margaret said, "I'll go take this outside."

"Okay," Emma said. She didn't point out that it was nearly eight o'clock and most of her students would be forced into bed by now by their parents. When Mary Margaret was ready to tell her the truth about David, she would. For now, it was none of Emma's business.

"Keep an eye on Rose."

"Believe me, I learned my lesson."

Mary Margaret shut the door behind her, leaving Rose to play with her blocks alone. Emma sat on the couch and watched as the toddler fumbled with the blocks. She tried to stack them up on top of one another but they kept falling down. Obviously she wasn't going to be an engineer when she grew up. Of course, what did Emma know? She hadn't exactly dreamed about being a bail bondsperson nor a sheriff.

Rose got tired of the blocks and crawled over to her little purple ball. "Mawry?"

"Sorry, kid, she's outside," Emma said, "you'll have to wait and play with her later."

Rose kept one small hand on the ball as she glanced around the room. She didn't look behind her though. "Emmy?"

Emma sat up straight. What had she just said?

"Emmy?" Rose said again and then in a whimper, "Emmy?"

Emma slid down onto the floor, her hand hovered over Rose's head for a moment before she finally gently touched her curls. Rose whirled around and then smiled. "Emmy play."

"You—you want me to play?" Emma asked, though Rose could hardly give her a straight answer.

Rose reached out and patted Emma's denim clad knee. "Emmy play."

Something must have gotten into her eyes, that was why they suddenly got hot and wet with moisture that she had to blink away. "Sure," Emma said, "Sure I'll play."

Emma took the ball and gently rolled it towards Rose. The child squealed and pushed it back to her. Emma rolled it again and smiled to herself when Rose laughed. That was how Mary Margaret found them a half an hour later, still rolling the ball back and forth and laughing the entire time.

That night, it was Emma who Rose called for before she was put down for the night. It was Emma who gave Rose her cup of warm milk. And it was Emma who stumbled over the words of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" as Rose drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Emma will be far more confident with Rose from now on, but we thought she should struggle a bit in learning to be a mother herself. Next chapter, Emma discovers something interesting about where Rose was born and we finally reveal the origins of the blue crystal that hangs on Rose's crib.

Please review, we're always glad to read what you all have to say.


	4. At First Breath

Disclaimer: Our fairy godmother has yet to arrive, so until that day comes we do not own Once Upon A Time.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: I'm so glad we got this chapter done at last. I feel like this one adds a lot more to the mystery but also builds the suspense as to when Gold will finally learn the truth and when Emma finds out about Rose's father. We have two flashbacks to FTL and so far they are my favorites. I hope you enjoy it as much as me.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: Finally it's finished! These are some of my favorite flashbacks so I'm really excited to see what you guys thing of this! Also, everyone check out the fic cover in the corner, that's little Rose up top!

NOTE: Nerwen made a sort of cover/collage for this fic that includes and picture of Rose. If anyone wants to see it in it's entirety just shoot us a PM.

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**giu:** I'm glad it only gets better with each chapter. You will see more with Emma, Mary Margaret and Rose but be patient for the big Gold/Belle/Rose family reunion. There is still a lot that needs to be told before that can happen.

**Nessa671:** Your wish is my command.

**Guest:** I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one.

**Guest:** Suspense is what we do and I'm glad you like it because there is going to be a lot more where that came from.

**kana117:** Here is the next chapter, I hope you loved it as much as chapter 3.

**TheNannyIsAbout:** So glad you love it.

**reviewer:** Yep I am the writer and nope I'm not going to spoil the surprise for you, but Emma is not the type of person to let go of a mystery until she'd got it all unraveled. It's not a matter of if she'll find out, but when. And nope, not going to say, LOL. Just keep reading, you'll see it all soon enough.

* * *

Chapter 4: At First Breath

_ The possession of magic always had a price, even those who had it and dealt it with a pure heart. The price for the Blue Fairy, like all fairies, was to never use it for themselves and devote their power entirely to others. So when she was called for she always came to help those who sought her powerful aid. This time her summons brought her to the Marshlands._

_ She knew her caller's name the moment she heard his plea: Sir Maurice, a good and noble knight. He stood in the forests on the borders of his province because he desired privacy in his matter with the fairy. She smiled when she saw him, hovering just above his face._

_ "Sir Maurice," she said sweetly, "I heard your plea and I am glad to lend you aid. I understand your province has suffered greatly, but is now on the mend. I am glad for this. Tell me, what is it you wish?"_

_ "My daughter," he told her, "Belle."_

_ "Is she ill?"_

_ "In a manner of speaking," he said. Maurice shut his pale blue eyes and let out a long sigh. "My people are safe now because of a deal she made with Rumplestiltskin."_

_ It was a name that never failed to make her uneasy. She knew his great secret, remembered well his dear, sweet boy who had only longed for his father back. Perhaps his only saving grace was that his quest for power now, his continued hunt for darker magic, was all to reunite himself with his lost child. And yet, even she knew that his hunger might never be satisfied. How much of that man was left inside of him now? Perhaps even that tiny spark was gone._

_ "A dangerous thing," she said quietly, "What did he desire in return for your safety?"_

_ "Her." She didn't bother to hide her surprise, but let him continue, "He said he desired a caretaker and requested Belle herself. She went with him and stayed there for many months before she returned to us. She said he released her."_

_ "Odd," the Blue Fairy said, "The Dark One has only ever let one thing slip through his fingers. He's always been careful to never break his deals."_

_ "Please," Maurice begged, "You must help her…she's changed. She's not the girl I knew before. He's done horrible things to her."_

_ "What sorts of things?"_

_ "He's bewitched her. She thinks she is in love with him."_

_ "In love?" the fairy couldn't help but repeat. It wasn't a term she ever thought could be associated with Rumplestiltskin, not for several centuries._

_ "Yes and then he defiled her while under his spell. She carries his spawn in her womb and refuses to rid herself of it."_

_ The Blue Fairy could only stare blankly at him for words had escaped her entirely. She wouldn't have believed it herself had she not detected only utter truth in what was being told to her. Rumplestiltskin had taken a girl, a virgin, and now she was to bear his child. Never in her long existence, far longer than the Dark One's, had she ever imagined this._

_ "Please," Maurice begged, "You must free my daughter from his power, let her see what he has done to her and never let his offspring be born. I shudder to think of what lives within her womb."_

_ "I understand your concerns," she told him gently, "I wish to see your daughter immediately and speak with her about what you've just told me."_

_ Maurice's weathered face, full of new creases from worry, broke out into a broad smile. "Oh thank you, my lady, thank you. She will be well now, I'm sure of it."_

_ It took only a small puff of magic and they were no longer in the clearing of the forest, but standing outside a quaint, little cottage. It was a charming place, but a knight of such a profitable town surely had a larger home than this. "She is not in your palace?"_

_ "No," Maurice said, "I thought it best to hide her condition from our people. She agreed out of safety for _it_."_

_ "I will speak with her now," the Blue Fairy told him._

_ He nodded. "I will wait out here._

_ "No, Sir Maurice, I think it would be best if you came. You are her father and you need to understand what exactly has happened and what lies in store for your child."_

_ He made no protest, just bowed his head and gestured for her to leave the way. He did open the little green door to let her inside. Belle was sitting in a chair reading a book when she saw her visitors. She was a lovely woman, young with brown hair filled with vibrant curls and exquisite blue eyes. The Blue Fairy knew what had happened the moment she saw the girl. Rumplestiltskin had laid eyes on her and saw her beauty, charm and strength of spirit and knew he had to possess her. Clearly, he hadn't anticipated what that would mean._

_ Belle stood and her dress gathered around her curving belly. She placed one hand there as she looked at the fairy that hovered just above her father's head. "Papa, what are you doing here? Who is this?"_

_ "Someone who can help you, my dear girl," he said._

_ "I told you, I'm not bewitched."_

_ "Please, Belle," he pleaded, "She will help you understand."_

_ The Blue Fairy smiled at the girl and drew herself closer, but careful to keep her distance. Belle was suspicious of her, wrapping her arms around her middle to guard her unborn child. "Hello Belle, I am the Blue Fairy. Your father called to me so I could give you aid. Is that what you require?"_

_ Belle shook her head. "I thank you for your concern, but I'm quite well. I have no need for help, other than a desire to change the mind of a stupid man."_

_ The Blue Fairy chuckled, quite certain the girl meant both the babe's father and grandfather. "You're very strong, I can see why you entranced him so."_

_ Belle peered up at her, blinking those lovely eyes of hers. "You know Rumplestiltskin."_

_ "Indeed I do, though we are not on good terms at all. We have a history that goes back long before you were born, even before your father was born."_

_ Belle tightened her arms around her belly. "You're his enemy."_

_ "No, he thinks I am, but everything I did was to try and save him. He refused, so now I try to protect him and others from his true enemy: himself."_

_ Belle gave her a smile tinged with sadness and nodded. "Yes, I can understand that."_

_ "Tell me, dear, what happened while you were with him?"_

_ "Nothing, at first," Belle said, "He never mistreated me, but he was…distant. And then…then he began to trust me and I…well I hardly know when it happened, but I felt sorry for him and then I…"_

_ "You fell in love with him," the fairy finished for her._

_ "Yes. And I know he loves me too because when I kissed him, his curse began to break."_

_ "Did it?" The Blue Fairy asked, as Belle's nod, she smiled, "Then it really was True Love. Even he is not immune to it's powers."_

_ Maurice stepped further into the room and pointed to the fairy. "I—I thought you were going to help her. You said you would free her from his spell."_

_ "Father, there is no spell."_

_ "Belle, you cannot do this!" he snapped, "This isn't a child, it's a monster!"_

_ "Sir Maurice, your daughter is right," the fairy said in as soothing a voice as possible, "There is no spell, no trick, no curse. Belle has not been touched by Rumplestiltskin's magic. It is impossible to make someone love another. Her love is pure and true."_

_ Maurice gaped at her and Belle for a moment and then shook his head. "No, no, he forced himself on her. It can't be true."_

_ Belle reached out to take her father's hand. "Please, Papa, please believe me. I know he is cruel and wicked, but he is also kind and gentle. He's not a monster, he's just a man who has forgotten who he once was."_

_ "Yes," the Blue Fairy said, "I don't know how you did it, child. I had believed he'd lost his heart many, many years ago, but you found it again."_

_ The girl nodded, but her eyes were sad as they looked down to the floor. "But it wasn't enough. He sent me away because he couldn't believe it. He thought she'd tricked him."_

_ "The Queen?" the Blue Fairy guessed and Belle nodded. "Then this is more dangerous than I thought. If the Queen is aware of your love for him and knows of how he feels for you, there is no doubt that she is looking for you now."_

_ Belle gasped, pressing both of her palms flat across her belly. "No, no I won't let her. She can't have my baby."_

_ "Have no fear, I will protect you both."_

_ "Protect?" Maurice repeated, "She must rid herself of it."_

_ The fairy turned back to look at the girl's father, still stuck in his fears and hatred for the Dark One. "Sir Maurice, the Dark One could never have created a new life. The child was made by Rumplestiltskin the man. She is not a monster, but as human as you yourself."_

_ "She?" Belle said from behind the fairy, "It's a girl?"_

_ The fairy smiled and flitted back towards her, hovering just above the swell of her belly. "Yes, she is a healthy child and very special."_

_ Belle rubbed at her stomach, blinking with new concern. "She keeps moving."_

_ "Yes, she senses me. She knows I am here."_

_ "How?"_

_ "Magic," the Blue Fairy said, "The man may have created her, but some of Rumplestiltskin's magic is within her."_

_ "If it has his magic then it is a danger to us all," Maurice insisted._

_ "No," she told him, "It's just a touch and it comes from her, it is innocent and pure and no threat to anyone."_

_ The fairy moved back up to reach Belle's face. "However, people with magic will be able to sense her. The Queen will know right away whose child she is."_

_ Belle hugged her middle tightly and shook her head again, sending her brown curls tumbling around her shoulders. "Please, please you must protect her."_

_ "I shall." _

_ The fairy shut her eyes for a moment, willing her magic to summon the power she needed. "Hold out your hand," she instructed Belle._

_A tear slipped free from her eye, rolling down her cheek and sparkling in the air as it fell. It winked with life before it landed into Belle's palm. It didn't splatter like water, but grew until and then hardened until it looked nothing like a tear at all. Now what lay in her hand was a blue crystal, beautifully shaped like a teardrop._

"_Keep the crystal with you," the Blue Fairy told her, "and no one with magic will be able to sense you or the child."_

_ Belle smiled with relief, closing her hand around the crystal. Then her eyes darted back to look at her helper. "What about him? Will he be able to know?"_

_ The Blue Fairy sighed softly and then shook her head. "Belle, Rumplestiltskin has many enemies and they will all wish to use you and the child against him. If you want to protect your daughter, then you must stay away from him."_

_ "But—but I can save him," Belle protested._

_ "And you shall," she promised, "but you must wait. I will take you to him when the time is right, when he is ready to accept your love and free himself from his curse._

_ "But until that day, protect your child and make sure as few as people as possible are aware of where you are. The crystal will shield you from magic, but not from prying eyes and the Queen has many spies. Be on your guard."_

_ Belle nodded. "I shall."_

_ The Blue Fairy smiled at her. "You're a rare woman, Belle. You saw through the darkness to find one small spark of light. Even I had thought him lost, but not you. Your love for him is truly remarkable."_

_ The fairy looked back at the girl's father. "I know you still have your doubts, but I know in time you will see that the child is nothing to be feared and everything to be loved."_

_ He did not look reassured by that notion, but the Blue Fairy was never wrong in these matters. He would see in time._

_ "Now I must go. I will continue to watch over you, Belle, and your daughter…and her father."_

_ Belle smiled at her. "Thank you."_

_It was only a small gesture she did, a small bit of protection in the hopes that they would both be safe. But even the Blue Fairy knew that nothing could protect her from the tricks and schemes of the evil. She could only hope that Belle would have the foresight to do what was best. All mothers do when it comes to their children._

* * *

Usually Granny's was reserved for Saturday mornings, but Mary Margaret had finished her after school work early and Rose did so enjoy being the center of attention in the diner. It wasn't a hardship at all for Emma to meet up with her friend for an early dinner.

Emma arrived early so she let Rose get passed around like a little doll. Marco held her first, then Ms. Andrews, followed by Mr. Hare. Emma lost track over how many people wanted a chance to meet and cuddle with Moe French's granddaughter. It seemed like Rose had some special magic that made everyone want to take her home.

But when Mary Margaret finally arrived, Emma reclaimed her charge and took a seat at an empty table. Ruby found them right away. "Hey! What can I get you?"

"I'll have the pot roast," Mary Margaret said.

"BLT, hold the mayo," Emma said and then pointed to Rose, "And she'll have a grilled cheese, but please, I beg you don't let Granny give her a free dessert. She's already had a cupcake from Mr. Drury and a lollipop from Mr. Clark. At this rate, she's well on her way to becoming a diabetic."

Ruby laughed as she wrote down the orders. "I'll try and stop her."

"Thanks," Emma called after her as Ruby headed towards the kitchen. When she looked back, Mary Margaret was smiling at her. "What?"

"Just…look at you."

"Hard to do without a mirror."

Mary Margaret continued to smile and then pointed to her. "Toddler on your lap, making sure she doesn't get too many sweets, you really are turning into a mom."

"No I'm not," Emma said, "I'm just getting the hang of things, that's all."

"Don't be so negative," Mary Margaret insisted, reaching over to gently bat Emma with her hand, "You're starting to act like a real mom. It's good. Don't you want to be that for Henry?"

Emma smiled down into Rose's curls and couldn't resist giving the top of her head a little peck. "Yeah, I do." Rose continued to color, completely oblivious to the conversation around. "I'm still looking for her father though."

Mary Margaret frowned. "But I thought you didn't mind keeping her?"

"I don't," Emma said, "But don't you think she should know? I mean, I've got to at least figure out why Alayna never gave the guy a chance to begin with."

Mary Margaret nodded in agreement. "So, any new leads?"

"Nope," Emma admitted with a sigh, gently combing her fingers through Rose's curls, "All I know is that it definitely wasn't Geoffrey Knight."

"Are you sure? Gold could have been wrong."

Emma shook her head. "I checked the records, Geoffrey died a year before Rose was born. Its impossible."

"So that means Alayna was seeing someone else."

"I know, but here's the weird part: no one in this town remembers her," Emma said, "I even called up the principal at the school. They have her school records, but they said there are just too many students and they can't remember them all."

Mary Margaret nodded over her coffee. "Well, that's understandable I guess."

"Still, I talked to several people in this town and besides Regina and Mr. Gold, no one remembers her so much as buying a carton of milk."

"Well maybe you're asking the wrong people," Mary Margaret said, "Alayna probably kept mostly to herself, but she must have had friends. I mean, she probably kept in touch with people closer to her age than with her neighbors."

"She was twenty years old, not sixteen."

"Still," Mary Margaret said with a patient smile, the one Emma was certain she used on her students, "It can't hurt to try."

Her friend was right, as always. And the opportunity presented itself right away as Ruby came out with their food and set them down on the table. "Hey Ruby, do you know this girl?"

Emma pulled out the picture of Alayna French with Geoffery and handed it to her. Ruby studied it for a while and then shook her head. "No, sorry."

"Are you sure?" Mary Margaret asked, "I thought you might have known each other when you were in school."  
"No, I don't remember her at all," Ruby said with a shrug, "Weird since I've been here my whole life."

Emma thought it was strange too. Storybrooke was a small town, it stood to reason that more than three people would know one person. There should be teachers who could remark on her habits in school, neighbors who she had returned their cat to, or boys who could recall trying to hit on her on more than one occasion. But Alayna seemed to have slipped through the cracks completely.

"I guess you didn't run in the same circles," Mary Margaret said with a touch of disappointment.

"Who is she?" Ruby asked.

"Rose's mother," Emma told her.

The waitress's black brows rose and she stared at the picture with new interest. "Wow, Rose looks a lot like her.

"Everyone says that."

"Why did you want to know if I knew her?"

Emma shrugged one shoulder before taking the picture back. "I'm trying to find her father. So far all I know is that it wasn't the guy in the picture."

"Wait," Ruby said, taking up a second seat so she could join them for a bit, "How can you not know who her father is? Doesn't Moe know?"

"Nope, Alayna never told him."

Ruby looked stunned again and then shook her head. "Really? No idea? That seems strange to me. I mean, I'm not exactly the girl you bring home to mother, but she clearly was. She had to know who the father was."

Emma played with Rose's curls again and gently shook her head. "Moe doesn't know, Gold doesn't know, no one seems to know anything. Maybe she just didn't know herself."

"Or maybe she just didn't want to tell her father," Ruby said, leaning forward on her elbows with a secretive gleam to her eyes, "I don't know about you, but I'd be terrified to tell my dad who knocked me up, especially if he wasn't exactly Mr. Right."

Emma and Mary Margaret looked at one another and then looked down at Rose. Had Alayna picked the wrong guy? Was that why Rose was absent a father?

"Maybe," Emma said, "But unless I can find a diary or something that still doesn't help me."

Ruby looked down at the table, pursing her lips in thought. "What about Rose's birth certificate? Maybe she didn't tell her dad, but she might have put it on record."

"Ruby!" All three women looked up to see Granny scowling at her granddaughter from the double doors of the kitchen. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be working. I'm not paying you to gossip."

Ruby rolled her eyes and stood up from her seat. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Emma and Mary Margaret looked back at each other, their meal entirely forgotten. "She might be right."

Emma looked back down at Rose who was munching on a piece of her grilled cheese sandwich. "It's worth a shot," she said. She knew it would be a shot in the dark but sometimes, sometimes a blind shot could hit its target.

* * *

Mr. Gold was walking towards his shop but slowed his gait and then stopped entirely when he saw Emma and Mary Margaret leaving Granny's diner. In Mary Margaret's arms sat little Rose who looked around the town with her cherubic face and happy smile. He heard her say something but he was too far off and her voice was too low for him to make it out entirely. But he saw her two caretakers laugh in response.

The trio stopped when a man came up to talk to them, from the looks of it, he was talking specifically to Emma. Mr. Gold didn't know who he once was, but he believed his identity in this world was Jordan Walker.

More than anything he wanted to be there, he just wanted to be close to this child if only to see if there was any proof that he fathered her.

"Something catch your interest, Mr. Gold?"

Regina sounded especially pleased with herself and she should be, she'd caught him staring at Belle's child. He turned to look at her, keeping his face as impassive as ever. "Not especially."

"Really?" She didn't believe him and he couldn't really fault her for that. "You're not feeling at all nostalgic at seeing your former…_caretaker's_ child?"

Oh how he wanted to find some way to get rid of that smile. "Why would I care about her?"

But Regina simply smiled on. "You're right, you shouldn't. Perhaps I was wrong then, perhaps your attention was focused elsewhere." She inclined her head towards the trio, "On him, perhaps." Gold looked at the man she was talking about, he had no idea where Regina was going with this. "You do know who he is."

"Jordan Walker," Gold pointed out, "a clerk in the courthouse. Why would I care about him?"

"I meant, who he _was_…and could be," Regina said smugly. She stepped closer to him, obviously relishing this moment. "He was one of the clerics that Sir Maurice hired to _cleanse_ his daughter of your wicked, wicked ways." Her face was filled with ecstasy as she continued, "He burned her, flayed her…and apparently much worse, he probably is little Rose's sire." She cocked her head, "Perhaps you should go over there, see what features she got from him."

It was taking everything he had to keep from shaking, even more to stop himself from physically assaulting the evil witch in front of him. Right now all he could to was stare at the man he only knew as Jordan Walker and try and fail to stop from imagining this man torturing the woman he loved.

Jordan finished his conversation with Emma and Mary Margaret, bidding them both goodbye. Little Rose waved her small hand at him, both women cooed over her show of affection before setting off on their way.

Anger burned in his heart, his eyes following the man he suddenly despised above all others…excepting the woman in front of him.

"Are you still going to say you don't care?"

Mr. Gold turned to look at her, not bothering to disguise his loathing now. "We're done here."

"But don't you want to—."

"Get out of my way, _please_."

The magic word finally tore the smile from her lips as she was forced to step aside and let him pass. But Mr. Gold didn't have to turn around to see her smirking as he walked away, she was pleased with herself, there was no doubting that. She knew the truth just as well as he did.

She'd won this round.

* * *

Emma was finally coming around to the idea that taking care of Rose French wasn't such a hardship after all. She was even beginning to really enjoy spending time with the little tyke. But she was still determined to solve the mystery of Rose's father, mostly because she didn't like question marks hanging over her head. She had enough of them in her own life; she didn't want Rose to share that fate.

Which is why the next day she headed out to the county records office to hunt down Rose's birth certificate. She wasn't as hopeful as Ruby or Mary Margaret that Alayna had actually put down the real name of Rose's father, mostly because she'd been in a similar situation and decided to keep that line blank herself. But she had to make sure because there was a chance, albeit a small one, that they were right.

Mr. K was sitting behind his desk, just like the last time she'd come in here looking for a birth certificate. "Mr. K," she said in greeting.

"Sheriff Swann," he replied stiffly, "Do you need another birth certificate?"

"Actually…yes," she told him, "I'd like to see the records for Rose French."

He nodded his head and took out three forms. "You'll have to fill these out in—."

"In triplicate," she finished for him and gave him a small smile, "I remember." Emma set about filling out the necessary paperwork while the older man began digging through filing cabinets looking for the certificate she wanted.

Finally he closed the door with a soft clang and brought out a thin folder. "Here we are, the birth certificate of one Rose French."

Emma smiled and took the folder, flipping it open to reveal the document in question. Immediately she saw that her suspicions were right. The entire section for father was blank, marked with "N/A" or "Unknown."

She sighed heavily, a little disappointed even if this was the outcome she'd been expecting. Her eyes alighted over the section reserved for Rose's mother. There in black and white stated the name that was quickly becoming an obsession for her.

Alayna Isabelle French. Born in Storybrooke, age twenty when Rose was born. A name and a photograph, that was all Emma had of this woman besides her daughter. Who was she and why did she abandon her child?

Emma was about to turn the folder aside and leave it with Mr. K but then something else caught her eye and she paused. "No, that can't be right."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Dr. Whale looked at the birth certificate and then handed it back to Emma. "No, that is right."

"What does it mean?"

"Rose French was not born at Storybrooke General," he told her simply.

"But this is the only hospital in the town," she reminded him, "If Rose wasn't born here, then how did she get a birth certificate?"

"Her mother must have had the certificate issued after the child was born."

Emma nodded, she understood but it still didn't make sense. "But if Rose wasn't born at the hospital than where was she born?"

"SSMC stands for Sisters of Saint Melissa Convent," Dr. Whale explained, "Rose must have been born there."

That didn't make any more sense either. "Why was Rose born there?"

He shrugged. "I guess you'd have to ask the nuns."

* * *

_The clouds were the fairies' domain and it was here that they watched over the rest of the realm. The Blue Fairy had many tasks, many wishes that needed granting for good people and many evils that had to be stopped. But right now, she was focused on teaching Nova how to be the best fairy she could be._

_ Sometimes she still saw Nova look down into the world with that faraway look, imagining what it would have been with her dwarf. The Blue Fairy knew her heart had been broken, but that was why love was denied to their kind. That was the price of having their magic: they couldn't embrace the most powerful magic of them all, just watch as other people found it._

_ "I know this might seem dreary," she told Nova gently, "But we have a responsibility to wield our magic with selfless desires and only good intentions."_

_ "Yes, I know that," Nova said._

_ The Blue Fairy smiled at her. "Good. You're becoming a wonderful fairy, Nova. Soon, you will have your greatest wish."_

_ Nova brightened at the thought. "A fairy godmother? Truly?"_

_ "Yes," she said, "But remember that part of the job of being a fairy godmother is to watch and wait and to only use our magic when they are in need." She smiled again. "And most of all, to guide them on the right path to their destiny."_

_ Nova nodded eagerly, her eyes already filled with that dreamy look._

_ The Blue Fairy smiled and was ready to offer her pupil more advice, but the earnest prayer of someone in need reached her ears. It was someone who had asked for her help before and certainly needed it now._

_ "Oh dear," she said, "It is time."_

_ "Time for what?" Nova asked._

_ "We must go," the Blue Fairy said firmly, "She will be in need of aid." Nova blinked at her in confusion, but her teacher only smiled and beckoned with her hand. "Come."_

_ Nova was still a bit clumsy in her flight, but that was part of her charm. The Blue Fairy hoped she never lost her lack of grace, it was a part of her that made her so special. Nova followed her to the Marchlands, past King George's castle, through the forest until they reached a province ruled by Sir Maurice._

_ The Blue Fairy led Nova to a clearing in the forest. There was the white cottage with the thatch roof and vines of roses creeping up the walls. It was cheerful place that housed a good, kind woman._

_ Sir Maurice was pacing outside in the grass, his head bent and his hands locked behind his back. The blue glow caught his eye and the Blue Fairy could read his relief in his face. "Thank you for coming," he said._

_ "I said I would," she reminded him, "Where is the midwife?"_

_ He shook his head. "None would come. They fear the child."_

_ They weren't the only ones. The Blue Fairy shook her head at him and gave him a kind smile. "There is nothing to fear, the magic is evil not the soul. The child has not been touched by evil."_

_ Sir Maurice nodded. "Perhaps, but no one will come and she is in pain."_

_ The Blue Fairy smiled again. "Then we will attend her." She looked back at Nova who hung by her wings just above her. "Nova, go get all of those who can be spared. We must attend her."_

_ "Who?" Nova asked, "I don't understand."_

_ The Blue Fairy beckoned with her hand. "Come and see for yourself."_

_ She led Nova into the cottage through the open door. Belle lay on the bed, clad in a large nightgown. Her belly was round and soon to deliver itself of its burden. Belle was between her pains at the moment and she smiled when she saw the two fairies. "You've come," she said, "I knew you would."_

_ "Yes, my child," the Blue Fairy said, "We've come to help you. Don't be afraid."_

_ "I'm not," Belle said and then noticed the white knuckled knot of her fingers that rested over her belly. "Not much."_

_ Nova alighted down until she was hovering just over Belle's womb. "A baby," she said and the gasped, flitting back, "The child…it has magic."_

_ "Not much," The Blue Fairy assured her, "It is just a touch, one given to her by her father."  
"Her father? Who is he?"_

_ The Blue Fairy looked over at Belle who nodded. "Rumplestiltskin."_

_ Nova gasped again. "The Dark One? How is that possible?"_

_ "He is a man," Belle said from her bed, "Please remember that."_

_ "Yes," The Blue Fairy said, "she is right. He is not a monster, Nova, but a cursed man who has forgotten his heart. He found it, briefly, with Belle. And now her child is coming and she must be protected from those who would do her harm and use her against her father."_

_ Nova looked at Belle, more specifically at her belly that harbored the Dark One's offspring. But then she nodded. "Yes, I'll go get others to help us."_

_ "And hurry," the Blue Fairy told her, "We don't have much time." Belle and the fairy both watched as Nova flew away as fast as her clumsy wings could carry her. Once her rose colored glow was gone, the Blue Fairy smiled back at Belle. "Now, are you comfortable, dear?"_

_ "As much as I can be," she said._

_ "Let's see what else I can do." The Blue Fairy shut her eyes and let her blue glow overcome her. A moment later she was in full human height and standing before Belle's bed, her fairy wings gone until she retook her natural form. _

_ The Blue Fairy found a pitcher of cool water and filled a cup with it. Belle took it with thanks and sipped it quietly. "I'm sorry you have to do this alone," the Blue Fairy said._

_ Belle sighed. "I want him here. I want him to know…"_

_ "I know, but you understand why this must be done."_

_ Belle nodded. "The Queen, she wants to destroy him. She tried to use me."_

_ "Yes, and she'll use you again and your child." The Blue Fairy sat down on the edge of the bed next to Belle. "Rumplestiltskin has done many terrible things."_

_ "I know that," Belle said, "But he's not evil."_

_ "I'm not saying he is," she said gently, "I know the magic has corrupted him and that beneath all of that darkness lies the good man he used to be. You found that man and that is a remarkable thing." Her smile faded into a cautious look. "But the Queen knows this. She knows he can be defeated and if she finds that way then he will be killed. I want to protect you and him, and this is the only way."_

_ Belle stared at her for a moment and then nodded slowly. "I believe you…I just wish it didn't have to be like this."_

_ "It won't be forever," the Blue Fairy promised her, "I have no intention of keeping the two of you a secret from him for very long. When he is ready, when I'm certain he is ready to believe in his true worth, you will be the one who will bring him back. You and your child."_

_ Belle nodded at that bit of hope, but another contraction came and was too captivated by it's pain to make a verbal response. The Blue Fairy held her hand, patting it gently until the pain had passed. There was little more she could do._

_ Nova returned as promised with three other fairies. They all transformed into human height in order to better do their work for the coming child. Belle smiled as they prepared towels and linen, used magic to clean the cottage and keep the air at the perfect temperature for her comfort._

_ "I am to be attended by fairies," she said, "How did I earn this honor?"_

_ "By being brave enough to love a man not for his looks or deeds, but for finding that inner light in his heart," the Blue Fairy said._

_ Belle shook her head gently. "You make it sound like some heroic deed, I didn't intend to fall in love with him."_

_ The Blue Fairy nodded. "But that is what makes it True Love."_

_ Soon enough, Belle's labor pains became too intense for her to carry on a long conversation. The Blue Fairy watched as Nova diligently wiped sweat from Belle's brow with one hand and let her clutch tightly her other hand as the contractions hit._

_ "She's in such pain," Nova said, "Can't we do something?"_

_ Her teacher shook her head sadly. "It is the price mortals must pay in order to bring new life into the world."_

_ It had been several hours since she'd arrived, but Sir Maurice continued to come every hour for news. She knew he was concerned for his daughter and still fearful of the child, but Belle was healthy and strong. Her delivery would be an easy one. But every time another contraction hit, Belle would shut her eyes and wish. The Blue Fairy could hear it._

_ "I wish he was here."_

_ Unfortunately, she could not grant that wish._

_ And then the time truly came._

_ "It's time, Belle," the Blue Fairy told her, "Don't be frightened. You'll be just fine."_

_ "And so will she?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ Nova continued to hold her hand while the other fairies prepared the baby's linens and towels. The Blue Fairy knelt at Belle's feet and urged her to push. Belle groaned at the fresh pain, screaming when the pressure began. But she showed her courage by never giving up. _

_ "You're doing well, dear," The Blue Fairy said, "She's almost here."_

_ "It—it hurts," Belle panted out._

_ "I know, but keep going. It will all be over soon."_

_ She gave her a jerky nodded but let out another sob as the pain returned. As Belle pushed to bring her daughter into the world, The Blue Fairy became aware of different kind of pressure. She caught Nova's eye and then her fellow companions and nodded once. Yes, they felt it too._

_ "All right, Belle dear, one more time and that should be it. Can you do it?"_

_ "Yes," Belle said. She gripped Nova's hand even tighter and then pushed._

_ The child slipped from Belle's womb and so did a powerful wave of magic. "We must mute it!" The Blue Fairy cried and all five the fairies focused on containing the ripple. It was too strong to hold back, they could only disguise its message._

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoO_

_ The ripple of magic spread out into the world, washing over everyone though few actually felt it. Only those with magic could sense its presence._

_ Inside the Dark Castle, Rumplestiltskin was spinning at his wheel when he stopped. He felt that sudden burst of power: new, fresh, completely untouched by anything impure. His hand stopped on the wheel. He shut his eyes, intent on seeking out the source of this wave but he saw only darkness._

_ Regina was still getting dressed for riding when the ripple of magic touched her. She spun about, only clad in her skirts, corset and chemise and stalked towards her mirror. "Show me what that was."_

_ The mirror flickered at her command, but then went dark. "Find me the source!"_

_ The glass wavered as the genie who now lived in her mirrors revealed himself. "It cannot be found, your majesty."_

_ Regina let out growl of frustration, squaring her hands on her hips. "Find Rumplestilstkin."_

_ "You know he keeps his mirror covered."_

_ "Just do it."_

_ She was in luck…or was she? Rumplestiltskin's mirror was uncovered and he was standing before it. That meant he was waiting for her to summon him. "What did you do?" she demanded of him._

_ "I was going to ask you the same thing, dearie."_

_ She narrowed her dark eyes at the tricky little imp. "That wasn't you?"_

_ He let out his annoying little giggle, as if he found the though hysterical. "You should know that my magic is far darker than that."_

_ "Can you see what it was?"_

_ "If I could, do you think I would be here?" He pointed to the mirror. "You can't see it either."_

_ "No," she said with a huff, "What could that have been?"_

_ "Nothing we should concern ourselves with," he said, "Too small, too young to be a threat."_

_ "For now," Regina said with a shake of her head, "And I don't like mysteries."_

_ "Yes, well, that's your problem, dearie," he said, "I've got more important things to work on." He waved at her partly clothed form. "Now please, cover yourself, your charms are of no interest to me."_

_ She glowered at him as the mirror went dark on his end. She wasn't stung by his lack of interest, Regina would rather rot than bed that monster, but she had hoped he would help her solve this little mystery. "Keep searching," she instructed her mirror, "It's out there somewhere."_

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoO_

_ The cries of the newly born filled the little cottage. The Blue Fairy smiled down at the infant she cradled in her arms, perfect and born of an unlikely love. She clucked her tongue and whispered soothing words as she swaddled the baby in a blanket. The fairies had woven a bit of magic into the fabric so that it would always be soft, always be soothing to the child._

_ "Is she—is she all right?" Belle said between sobs._

_ "She's perfect," The Blue fairy assured her. She smiled as she walked towards Belle and placed her in her mother's arms._

_ Belle couldn't stop her sobs while she held her newborn daughter to her breast. She stroked her brown hair, placed feather-soft kisses to her brow and whispered words of love to her. The fairies all stepped back and let her have this moment with her child._

_ The baby opened her eyes and looked at her mother for the first time. Belle let out a gasp. "She…she has his eyes."_

_ The child's eyes were not the vibrant blue of her mother's nor the yellow eyes of her cursed father. Instead they were a rich brown with a hint of honey color near the center. Belle must have seen the confused expressions of her companion because she smiled through her tears. "His true eyes," she said, "I only saw them for a moment, but they were so beautiful."_

_ Belle looked down at her daughter and lightly traced her cheek with her finger. "She's so beautiful."_

_ The Blue Fairy nodded in agreement. "What will you call her?"_

_ "Rose," Belle said, "That was his first gift to me. She was his second."_

_ "It's a beautiful name," Nova said in her chipper tone, "You are so lucky."_

_ The Blue Fairy smiled at her pupil. "As are you."_

_ Nova blinked at her with a curious gaze. "What?"_

_ The Blue Fairy held out her hand and in a puff of light magic a wand appeared. "Nova," she said, holding the wand out to her, "Rose is to be your first fairy godchild."_

_ Nova gasped at her, her lovely eyes fixated on the wand. "Really? I'm ready."_

_ "Yes. I'm so very proud of you and I'm sure you're going to be a great fairy godmother."_

_ Nova's hand trembled as she accepted the valuable tool of magic, one only given to fairy godmothers. "I-I-I'm so…honored," she said. Nova looked over at Belle with glassy eyes. "I promise to be the best fairy godmother I can to her."_

_ Belle smiled at her. "Thank you." She looked at the rest of the fairies in the room, "Thank you all."_

_ "There is no need," The Blue Fairy said, "We will always be willing to help you." Her smile faded slowly and she took on a pensive look. "But remember, Belle, you are not only the key to Rumplestiltskin's salvation but his greatest weakness. He has many enemies who will use you and Rose against him. The curse has already made him a formidable person, but if he were controlled by someone with devious intentions then the results would be disastrous for us all."_

_ "I…I understand," Belle said._

_ The Blue Fairy sat down on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Rose's hair. "I know this hurts you and I promise that I will reunite you with your one true love, but you must be patient. And remember, tell no one who is the father of your child."_

_ She nodded towards the blue crystal Belle had hung over her bed. "My crystal will protect you and Rose from the prying eyes of magic, but you are not safe from the means of a clever spy. They will come. You must keep yourself and your daughter safe…for his sake."_

_ "I will," Belle promised with more than her usual strength. This was the determination of a new mother, prepared to defend her helpless child. The bonds of motherhood were quickly formed and tougher than dragon scales._

_ The Blue Fairy smiled and patted her hand. "You're a brave woman, Belle. I can see how you warmed the heart of Rumplestiltskin."_

_ Belle once again looked wistful at the mention of her true love's name, but she looked down at her daughter and that joy was more powerful than anything._

_ Sir Maurice arrived and the fairies watched as his doubts and fears all melted away at the sight of his granddaughter. It was while the father and daughter reconciled all of their differences over their love for this new life that the fairies left them. The Blue Fairy knew Nova would keep an eye on her new charge and she hoped she would never be called to help Sir Maurice and Belle again._

_ But she knew it was entirely possible that her greatest fears would come to pass. Even her magic couldn't protect Belle from everything. It was Belle's true love that had nearly freed Rumplestiltskin of his curse. That same love could also destroy her._

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Emma parked her car in front of the Sisters of Saint Melissa Convent. It was a pretty place, large with a Tudor style architecture and lovely stone work. It was peaceful and even she felt something just standing there waiting for the Mother Superior to arrive. Safe. Yes, that was what she felt. It was a haven here and the nuns were all sympathetic to any woe anyone cared to lay at their door.

"Sheriff Swan?"

Emma turned around to see the somewhat familiar face of the Mother Superior. She'd seen her once around town when the nuns were asking for clothes for children in Haiti, but they hadn't really spoken except to exchange greetings. Still, the good Mother was a short, lovely woman with dark brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. She smiled a patient, gentle smile, exactly the kind of a smile one would expect on a doting mother to her children. It was impossible to fear this woman or be at all uncomfortable in her presence.

"Emma," she told the Mother and offered her hand to shake.

Mother Superior led her to the gardens where they were free to walk in the fresh air and the surprisingly warm New England day. "Sister Olivia said you needed to speak with me. Are you in need of spiritual guidance."

"No," Emma said with a smile. Religion had never been her fallback option, "No, uh God and I are on decent enough terms, um actually I wanted to talk to you about something else. Have you heard about Moe French being in the hospital?"

"Yes, me and the sisters bring flowers to the patients every Sunday," Mother Superior said with a smile, "I think it's very kind of you to take in little Rose. How is she by the way?"

"Perfect," Emma said, actually meaning it, "Sometimes a bit of a handful, but she's too damn cute to get mad at." Then she froze in mid step. "Oh my God, I just cursed in front of a nun…twice. Great, I'm so going to Hell."

Mother Superior laughed, a true throaty laugh that said it wasn't done to just be polite. "That's quite all right, I can assure you that God is forgiving."

Emma let out her own chuckle. Mother Superior wasn't the kind of nun she'd expected, more like Julie Andrews than Maggie Smith. "Good, well the reason I called is because I looked into Rose's birth certificate and I saw this."

She pulled out a copy of the certificate and handed it to the Mother. "It says she was born here. Is that right?"

"Yes," she replied without any hesitation, "Alayna decided she wanted her child born here instead of at the hospital."

"No offense, but that's weird," Emma said.

"I acted as midwife for dozens of women in Botswana," Mother Superior said, "I am more than qualified to assist in a delivery."

"Oh, I'm sure, it's just…most people want their babies born in a hospital not a convent."

Mother Superior gave her another patient smile as they walked over a little bridge that was set over a small creek. "I suppose that would seem strange, but I believe Alayna felt comfortable here. I'm sure you can understand that fear of knowing your life is going to change forever and wanting nothing more than to be somewhere you feel safe."

Emma looked down into the water, seeing a hazy picture of herself looking back at her. "Yeah, I do." Except there hadn't been a safe place for her to go nor people she could count on. "But why here?"

"Alayna came to me and told me that she was pregnant and wasn't sure how to tell her father," Mother Superior began, "I invited Moe to come and she told him right here, in the rose garden."

Emma looked around and realized she was surrounded on all sides by roses. Bright blooms of pink and red that released a heady perfume to the air. This was where it had all began, where Alayna had stood and told her father that in nine months she would have a child. It was impossible not to think about Rose, not when she was cornered by her namesake.

"How'd that go?" Emma asked with evident suspicion of the answer.

"Not well."

Bingo.

"Moe was understandably upset," Mother Superior said, "Especially when she refused to tell him who the father of her child was."

Emma knew Moe had no idea who Rose had received half of her DNA from, but it was hearing "refuse" that struck her as odd. Ruby was right. Alayna knew who the father of her child was but for some reason just wouldn't tell anyone who had done the deed.

"He made it clear that he didn't believe she should have the child, but Alayna insisted. They both decided that the best thing for her was to remain here until the birth. When Rose was born, Moe immediately fell in love with the child and Alayna went home soon after. We didn't see her much after that."

Mother Superior shook her head sadly. "I was surprised when I heard she'd left. She was so determined to have the child and so excited for motherhood. Perhaps we should have helped her more."

"If she'd have wanted it then she would have asked," Emma said.

"I suppose."

The good Mother's story had certainly pricked Emma's growing interest in the absent Alayna French, as well as explained why Moe was so devoted to Rose. He must have felt guilty for begging his daughter to not have the child and now he couldn't imagine not loving such a beautiful little girl. In his mind, he had a lot to make up for.

But what this also told her was that Alayna had spent several months here with people who wouldn't judge her and who surely had befriended her. Maybe she'd told them her secrets. "Look, the reason I came is because I've been trying to find Rose's father," Emma told her, "I know Alayna didn't tell Moe, but did she tell you?"

"No," Mother Superior said, "I'm afraid I never asked her."

Emma gaped at her. "You didn't ask?"

"Emma," she said with eyes full of gentle patience, "This is a place of sanctuary, not judgment. I never asked her because it wasn't relevant for me to know. If she wanted to tell me then she would have in her own time."

Emma shut her eyes and let out a sigh. "Yeah, I get it."

"However, you may want to ask Sister Astrid," Mother Superior said, "She and Alayna were very close while she was here."

Well it was worth a shot. "Where can I find her?"

Sister Astrid had apparently been assigned to dish duty that day. And the fact that the moment Emma reached the door way and saw a dish slip from the young nun's soap covered hands, she guessed this would be the last time.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," Sister Astrid said over and over as she knelt down. She tried to fit the broken pieces back together, but sheer willpower had never been able to fuse glass.

"Need some help?" Emma asked from the doorway.

Sister Astrid looked up and laughed a little. "You wouldn't happen to have super glue?"

Emma shook her head. "Nope, but I can hand you the garbage." That's exactly what Emma did. Once the broken glass was off the floor, Sister Astrid stood up and wiped her wet hands on her dark skirts.

"So, what can I do for you Miss…?"

"Swan, Emma Swan, but you can call me Emma."

"Emma, well it's nice to meet you," she said and held out her slightly damp hand for a shake, "You can call me Astrid."

"Okay," Emma said, smiling back. She was a klutzy nun, but definitely sweet. Not exactly the kind of person she'd figured would take holy vows, but exactly someone Emma doubted she had done anything truly wrong her whole life. "I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about Rose French and her mother. Mother Superior said you were close with her."

"Oh yes, yes I was," Astrid said and gestured for them to sit at a little table. "Alayna and I shared a room while she was here. She even made me Rose's godmother."

"Wow, really?" Emma said with surprise and a little glee. If they were that close then Alayna really might have out her confidence in this kind, slightly ditzy, harmless little nun.

"Yes, oh how is Rose?" Astrid asked with a bubbly, pleading look, "I haven't seen her since she was a baby. She must be two, not quite two yet. Is she healthy? Does she look like her mother?"

"Yes to all of that," Emma said with a smile, "I'll bring her by later if you'd like."

"Please, I'd love to see her again."

"Sure, but, uh, I wanted to ask you about Alayna. Just how close were you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…did she ever tell you about Rose's father?"

Astrid sat back into her chair, her large eyes blinking in astonishment. "Wow, well…no, not exactly. I never really thought it was my place to ask."

Emma sighed and stared down at the table. "I've been getting that a lot."

"I mean, she brought him up a few times, but she never said who he was exactly."

Emma perked up a bit. She met the nun's brown eyes. "What did she say?"

"She was very…sad," Astrid said, showing some solemnity for the first time, "I heard her crying a few times. I did ask her why she wasn't with him and she said that he was a coward and that he wouldn't believe her."

Astrid looked up at her with a grave look in her dark brown eyes. "She said she couldn't tell anyone about him because no one would understand."

"Understand what?" Emma asked.

"I don't know. That's all she said."

And once again, Emma was left with more questions and no answers. The story of her life, or so it seemed.

* * *

It was Saturday so Mary Margaret was free to be with Rose at her leisure. Emma had run off on her quest to find Rose's missing father so she had the child all to herself at the moment. It was actually nice. She was becoming rather attached to the toddler. In fact, a part of her already dreaded the day when they would have to return her to her grandfather.

Rose was playing with little plastic barn filled with plastic farm animals. Rose would stuff them into little areas and if she put the pig in the pigpen it would oink and make her giggle. If she put the farmer in his spot then the whole thing would sing "Old MacDonald" and she would clap and babble along.

Mary Margaret smiled as she worked on Monday's lesson plan and listened to Rose have her fun. It really was just nice to have a little cheerful sprite to take the loneliness out. Mary Margaret hadn't realized she was lonely until Emma had moved in and now she was beginning to realize she would love to be a mother and have a daughter just like little Rose. It was strange how those dreams never made themselves known before, like she'd had blinders on until just recently.

There was a gently knock on the door, strange since Emma would have no need for such ceremony. Mary Margaret patted Rose's head on her way to the door. It wasn't Emma, but David who stood there. And against her will, her heart galloped at the sight of him, like it always did.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, uh, what are you doing here?"

"I, uh…I just…wanted to see you," he said. Like always, she was falling even harder for him with just that one confession.

"Well, come on in then." Mary Margaret held open the door and let him slip past her. "I'll make us some tea."

David smiled and headed for the couch, but stopped when he saw that the living area was already occupied by a toddler. "Rose," he said, a little surprised. Clearly he'd hoped to have Mary Margaret all to himself, "Hello there."

"Sorry," she apologized from the kitchen, "Emma is out so I have to watch her."

"That's fine," David assured her with a smile, "Now I get to spend the evening with the two prettiest girls in Storybrooke."

Mary Margaret watched as he parked himself on the floor next to Rose and began to help her with her little game with the barnyard animals. He imitated their sounds and showed how the farmer would brush out the horse. She didn't really understand, but she laughed and smiled with her new friend.

For Mary Margaret, it was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. He was so good with Rose and she trusted him instantly though he was still very much a stranger to her. Eventually Rose got tired of her barn and David found her cardboard bricks. Together they set to work building a tower, though Rose found the game immensely more fun when she knocked it down.

She brought David tea, but they both left their cups mostly neglected on the coffee table. Rose wanted to play and they were happy to indulge her. "This is nice," Mary Margaret said after Rose had destroyed her fourth tower.

"Having a screaming toddler make a mess," David said with a laugh, "I can see the appeal."

"No," she said and then reached out to take his hand, "_This_ is nice, just the three of us."

His blue eyes met hers, deep oceans of love and happiness. He gently squeezed her hand. "Yeah, it is."

Rose let out a squeal, ending the perfect moment between them but Mary Margaret didn't care. David took Rose and tickled her belly, making her laugh. If she shut her eyes she could pretend that she had David weren't having a secret affair but were married. As she listened to David laugh and Rose's high pitched giggles, then the image shifted. They were still married but now they had a daughter.

Yes, a daughter with blonde curls and blue eyes who had her father's spirit and her mother's fierce love. A child who was brave and strong, gentle and wise, the best of both of her parents. A true princess of—.

The distinct sound of footstep coming up the stairs to her apartment door is what brought Mary Margaret back to reality. "Oh my God, Emma," she whispered furiously, "What are we going to do?"

David glanced around, but there was no back exit. They had three options: hide him somewhere in the apartment, jump out the window or try to bluff their way out of it. Option number three was the clear winner.

Mary Margaret quickly grabbed their tea and dumped it in the sink just as the door opened.

"Hey, I'm back," Emma called. She froze when she saw David standing in the living room. "Uh, hi. Wasn't expecting to see you here, David."

"David, was uh, here for uh…for uh…a dog," Mary Margaret said.

"A dog?" Emma asked, eyeing her roommate with skepticism.

"Yeah, a dog from the animal shelter escaped and I'm asking if anyone's seen her," David said smoothly.

"Okay, what's it look like?" Emma asked.

"It's a…Cocker Spaniel," he said.

"Does it have a name?"

"Lady."

"A Cocker Spaniel named Lady," Emma said with a nod and then shook her head, "Sorry, haven't seen her, but I'll keep an eye out."

"Good, thanks for that." He looked over at Mary Margaret, a long lingering look of painful regret, "I guess I'll be going."

"See you later, David," Emma called out after him.

"Good bye," Mary Margaret said, hoping her ears weren't right about that sad ring to her words.

They had one last look and then he walked out the door. Emma pretended she had been complete oblivious to it all, choosing instead to greet Rose by picking her up and kissing her cheek.

"So, how'd it go?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Good and bad," Emma said.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't find out who he was," she explained, "But I did find out a few things, mostly about Alayna and why she was at the convent."

Emma shared the whole story, how Alayna's pregnancy had caused a rift with her father, her mysterious conversation about the Rose's father with Astrid and how Moe had come around when Rose was born. Mary Margaret listened intently, letting out a long, "Wow," when Emma was finished.

"Yeah, I know."

"So the nuns didn't know anything else?"

"Nope, just that Alayna was determined to keep him a secret. I still have no idea why though."

Rose let out a whimpering sound and started wiggling in Emma's grasp. Her arms reached out for the floor so Emma set her back by her blocks. Mary Margaret left the kitchen to kneel beside Rose.

"Any idea on what you're going to do next?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. I'm kind of out of ideas. I've looked everywhere, maybe there just isn't an answer."

"Well you know that's not true."

"I know he's out there, it's just maybe Alayna did too good a job of covering her tracks." Emma walked over and stared at the picture of Alayna and Geoffrey Mary Margaret had propped up on the table next to Rose's crib. She'd done it so Rose could have her mother close to her, but Emma had a feeling that picture meant more to her at the moment. It still betrayed nothing. Alayna was just too jealous with her secrets.

A flash of light caught her eye. Emma turned her head to look at the crib. That blue crystal still hung there and was winking in the lamplight. Emma reached over and gently touched it with her fingers. She didn't know what it was, but there was nagging feeling in her mind that Alayna had wanted to keep that there. It was just one token Rose had of her mother, much like Emma's own baby blanket.

_"I'm missing something,"_ Emma thought as she traced the facets of the crystal with her thumb, _"But what could it be?"_

* * *

A/N: Next chapter takes place during What Happened to Frederick. While Mary Margaret and David have their falling out, August meets Rose for the first time and Gold decides to take some revenge out on Jordan Walker.

Please Review, they always make us go faster.


	5. Judge Not Lest Ye be Judged

Disclaimer: Nope, still not ours.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Well this chapter is shorter than our others, but the good news is that we got to update sooner, yeah! Next chapter will be longer, but some if it is already written so hopefully not too long of a wait. This chapter takes us to the episode What Happened to Frederick, now we don't repeat every scene in the episode since you all know the episode really well, we just add Rose to some parts and make up one or two scenes as well. I hope all of you enjoy it.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: A shorter chapter to help set up what is going to happen next. We finally get back to some of the events in the show and it will all eventually lead to Emma finally heading in the right direction over who Rose's father is. Stay tuned, you're going to love it.

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**giu:** Regina will continue to be meddlesome so expect to feel sorry for Gold a lot. The loving reunion between father and daughter will take a while, but expect things to heat up in Emma's search very soon.

**kanna117:** And the next chapter has arrived. I hope you like it.

**Guest:** Yep, Gold is after revenge, but don't expect him to beat anyone with a cane again. He lost his control there, but now he has a reason keep his emotions in check again. But don't worry, you'll see him lose his restraint again in this story but it won't be with Jordan Walker, hehehe.

**reviewer:** I know, I hate that Gold is so willing to believe Regina's lies, but I loved what Jane Espenson said in the Skin Deep commentary, it just speaks volumes about his character that he's so quick to believe what he's told, so quick to believe the worst in everyone and the world without any proof. It just makes his character even more tragic. As for August, well he's kind of a grey character too. He's not up to anything new than what the show provided, but he will take a keep interest in Rose later on.

* * *

Chapter 5: Judge Not Lest Ye be Judged

The call from Mary Margaret was a surprise. It was only eleven o'clock on a Wednesday, a time when she was supposed to be at school. Emma had even asked how this was possible until she mentioned her free period, a time normally reserved for grading papers, but today she wanted to have coffee at Granny's. Code for "I desperately need to tell you something."

So Emma packed up Rose and walked over to the diner. Rose always enjoyed walking around the town, especially when they passed the pharmacy and Mr. Clark gave her a peppermint stick. It seemed no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop everyone from spoiling Rose…not even herself.

"Bike," Rose said over her peppermint stick, pointing her candy at a familiar black motorcycle.

Ah, so the motorcycle boy/writer was at the diner. He'd seemed kind of interested in her before, but he hadn't even talked to her since he'd persuaded her to have a drink with him. A drink they still hadn't had. Emma wasn't even sure if she really wanted to go out with him. Sure, he was good looking and his mysterious nature did have a certain appeal, but the great what if about Graham still bothered her and…there was just something off about the guy. It was like he expected something of her, something big.

Still, when he walked out of the diner, she decided she would give him a chance. He was a stranger to town, much like her, they had to stick together. He smiled when he saw her. "I've been meaning to bump into you." Then his blue eyes noticed Rose greedily sucking on her candy. "Is this your daughter?"

Emma let out a laugh. "Obviously you don't have your ear to the gossip mill in this town. I thought writers were supposed to be observant."

"Cutting, I like that in a woman," the stranger said, still smiling, "So I take it she is not your offspring."

"No," Emma said, "This is Rose French. Her grandfather was beaten up by rich bastard who apparently can get away with battery charges and she has no other family. My options were leave her with Social Services or take care of her until her grandfather's better."

"Well, that was rather generous of you," the stranger said, "But I hope this doesn't interfere with things with you. Matter of fact, I was hoping we could have that drink you promised."

"Is that you asking me out?" Emma asked. She was hoping for a straight answer, but wasn't betting on one.

"Well if putting a label on it makes you more comfortable, sure."

Straight enough, she supposed.

"Let's call it a date," he said.

"I thought you came here to write," Emma said, hefting Rose up a little higher on her hip, "Find inspiration."

"I'm optimistic about our date," he returned with that rapier wit. Damn, he was clever.

But, Emma could be witty too. "See, I have a policy. I won't go out with guys who won't tell me their names, find it weeds out the ones who like to keep secrets. Like they're already married or store body parts in their freezer."

She gave him a little smirk. "It was nice talking to you."

Emma bounced Rose again on her hip as she walked past the stranger and headed for the door. "It's August," he said from behind her.

Emma turned around to meet his eyes. Damn, he was still grinning. "August W. Booth."

"Really?" she said, "With the middle initial?"

"The W's for Wayne," he said, "So there goes your reason for not meeting me here," he pointed to the ground he stood on with both index fingers, "After work." He winked at her and then waved, "Bye Rose."

"Bye bye!" Rose called after him.

August laughed before he walked away while Emma stared at the child in shock. "Flirt," she accused the toddler, "Boy is your grandfather going to be in trouble."

Emma looked once more at August's retreating form, unable to shake the feeling that there was just something weird about the guy. Well, only one way to find out what that was. But that was something to worry about later. Mary Margaret was waiting for them.

Obviously her conversation with the town's latest guest had not gone unnoticed. Mary Margaret was watching her over her coffee cup as she walked in. "Who was that?" she asked before Emma had even taken her seat.

"I don't know yet," she admitted.

"Yet," Mary Margaret caught that last word and latched onto it like dryer sheet on fresh laundry, "So you're going to find out."

"It's nothing," Emma said.

Mary Margaret gave her a look that clearly challenged that assessment. "Nothing with you means something because if it were nothing then we wouldn't be talking about it."

Emma shifted Rose in her lap so she could lean forward a bit easier. "I'm sorry, I thought you called me here to talk about you."

"Yeah but talking about you is easier right now," Mary Margaret said in a slightly panicked voice. Her eyes fell to Rose whose little hands and mouth were stained red by the little stub of her peppermint stick. "I thought you were going to limit her junk food."

"I thought you needed to talk," Emma countered, "What is it? What's going on?"

Mary Margaret closed her eyes and took in a long breath. She glanced around the diner at the sparse occupants before deciding that they had keen ears. So she leaned forward and whispered, "Remember when you told me to stay away from David and I agreed?"

"Yes," Emma whispered back.

Mary Margaret met her eyes with a small bit of shame. "I didn't."

"Yeah, I know," Emma whispered.

Mary Margaret frowned, her mouth opening a bit before she said, aghast, "You do? How?"

Emma gave up the whispering charade, no one was listening anyways. "Because I'm sheriff and you are a lovesick school teacher. Covering your tracks is not exactly your strong suit."

"Well I've been dis—," she stopped when she realized she was talking a little too loud, "Discreet," she whispered again.

"Two tea cups in the sink," Emma listed her evidence, "David helping us with the crib and finding a lost dog, new perfume, late nights, plunging necklines, it was not hard to connect the dots."

Mary Margaret glanced down at her white sweater, noting the V neckline that was still very modest, especially compared to Ruby's red shorts. "Plunging?"

Emma smiled a little. "When I met you, you were a top-button kind of girl."

Mary Margaret looked way, murmuring out a "huh" and then looking back at Emma. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Emma shrugged. "I'm not your mother."

"No," Mary Margaret said and took another sip of her coffee, "According to Henry I'm yours."

"I kind of thought since you were helping me take care of Rose, that I owed you," Emma said with a smile, but then she let the seriousness of the subject return, "I just figured that you would let me know when it was time. I'm assuming it's time."

She looked down at her dwindling coffee cup, but did look up when she said, "He's telling Kathryn."

Rose let out a murmur, but Emma ignored her. She would let them know when she really needed attention. "Everything?"

"Everything," she said with finality.

Emma nodded. "Wow, that's…huge."

"He said he chose me."

"He said that before," Emma reminded her.

"Yeah, but this is different." Words Emma had said herself more than once. "He really means it."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

Either she was delusional or she really believed it, but Emma couldn't see any bit of doubt her in her love-struck eyes. "Okay then," Emma said with a sigh, "Great, but…be careful, all right? I mean, this kind of stuff has a way of getting out and…well…it's not going to look good for you."

"I know, but we're in love," Mary Margaret said with a hopeful smile, "That's all that really matters, right?"

Emma shrugged. "I'll take your word for it. Love has never been my strong suit."

Just then Rose the Tornado made her second appearance. Apparently somewhere in the middle of their conversation she had finished her peppermint stick and taken a keen interest in the sugar shaker. She had somehow unscrewed the lid and spilt the sugar on the floor. Now the shake dropped from her hands and proved to be completely destructible. It hit the ground with a loud crash.

Either the noise scared her or she felt guilty for what she'd done, but Rose immediately started sobbing. Emma and Mary Margaret shared a wince as every eye in the diner turned to look at the scene.

"We are the worst caretakers in the world," Mary Margaret whispered.

"Yeah," Emma had to agree.

* * *

There was a crowd gathered near the Storybrooke town hall where Billy was reluctantly loading up a silver Camaro onto his tow truck. Most people whispered in shock or horror but only one watched on with controlled glee. Mr. Gold stood calmly by watching as the rodent turned tow-truck driver did his bidding.

It took a bit longer than he thought it would for Jordan Walker to run out of the building, perhaps the man was a bit dimmer than he had assumed. "Hey. Hey! What's going on?" he shouted as he ran around the tow truck to get a better view of the car that once belonged to him.

"I'm sorry man," Billy said softly, "I'm just doing my job."

"Who told you to do this?" Billy pointed at Mr. Gold who was still calmly standing by, enjoying the spectacle immensely.

Jordan looked a little stunned and there was some reluctance in his eyes after that. But then he looked back at his car and became determined once more. He marched over to Mr. Gold. "What is going on?"

"I'm claiming what is mine, that is all."

"The car isn't yours."

"Ah but it is," Mr. Gold replied smoothly. "You used it as collateral in your loan when you rented your home."

Jordan thought about it for a moment and remembered that bit of information the curse had made useful for him now. "But, I've paid my rent on time every month!"

"What about now?"

"I have the money, I can pay you right this second!"

Mr. Gold gave him a cold smile. "But I doubled your rent this month…if you can pay that this second, then the car is still yours."

The young man stared at him, his face going white and his eyes wide with shock. "But…but you can't do that."

"As your landlord, I most certainly can."

Jordan gaped at him for a long time and he slowly began to realize he was trapped. "There has to be something…" but he stopped when he saw the very hard look in Mr. Gold's eyes. Perhaps he saw too much. "What did I ever do to you, Mr. Gold?

Mr. Gold gave him a long cold look. "Nothing that you know about."

Billy finished loading up the car and gave Jordan one last sympathetic look before getting into the cab of the truck and driving the car away. The man who was now carless stared at the tow truck driving away for several minutes with a forlorn look in his eye.

Mr. Gold didn't have any sympathy for him, not an ounce in his soul. This didn't even begin to cover the dept Jordan Walker had on him, but it was squeezing out at least a few drops of blood and that was a start. The crowd was beginning to disperse with more than a few giving Gold some wary looks, no doubt they were going to go home and take a look at their own finances to make sure they could pay him the amount he requested or forfeit their own homes and vehicles.

Only one person stayed rooted to their spot, and she didn't look afraid at all, in fact she looked smug.

Regina had been watching the events taking place from behind the crowd and obviously had enjoyed the show. He couldn't avoid her as he made his way back towards his shop and he wasn't mistaking that gleam in her eyes at all. "So, your maid was worth the price of a Camaro, how sad for her."

"She belonged to me," Mr. Gold told her calmly, "I'll decide when enough punishment has been exacted."

She raised an eyebrow. "So you aren't done torturing the man…poor Mr. Walker. He has no idea of his past crimes and here you are, making him pay for them."

"Why are you so concerned with my affairs?"

But she didn't take the bait. "It must be hard. You so desperately want to kill him but that is impossible, at least right now." Regina stepped forward to give him another smirk. "Perhaps you should go easy on him, after all, he might have another mouth to feed if he finds out that Rose is most likely his child."

It took a lot of control to keep from wrapping his fingers around her throat. He hated to be reminded of what had happened to Belle, hated that another man might have fathered her child through a terrible deed.

"The child is no concern to me."

"She shouldn't be, she doesn't have any relation to you at all."

Mr. Gold stared at her for a long moment, wishing he could turn her into snail right then and there. But the magic was gone…for now. "If you will excuse me, I must get back to my shop. Don't you have a job to do yourself? I do believe a certain teacher is still happy with her shepherd turned veterinarian."

She frowned at the reminder but he didn't give her time to torture him a bit more. He simply walked away from her. Savoring what small victory he had, it wasn't much but it was necessary. He wanted to figure out other ways to make Jordan Walker pay for his crimes.

* * *

With Mary Margaret in school, Emma had no choice but to bring Rose on her date. She didn't think the kid would mind much, probably be to busy coloring to understand what exactly was going on. Besides, Emma knew nothing was going to happen here. August might be charming but this was strictly a way to find out more about him. No way was she even considering him as a potential boyfriend.

She didn't know how August knew when she got off of work, but it was a small town so maybe he just noticed when she usually left the station. Still, she waited just outside of Granny's. Rose had only just woken up from a nap so she was still a bit sleepy. She rested her head on Emma's shoulder and sucked on her thumb while toying with Emma's hair with her free hand. Granny came outside when she saw Rose and immediately began to try and start a conversation with Rose, but the toddler didn't do much else besides smile and bury her face back into Emma's neck.

"Sorry, she's a little groggy," Emma said, "Give her a few minutes and she'll get her second wind."

"Oh I don't doubt it," Granny said with a smile, "Children like her always find energy somewhere. They probably store it up like squirrels."

"It's probably from all of the sweets everyone gives her," Emma said, making Granny laugh with guilty pleasure.

The sound of August's motorcycle chugging its way towards the diner attracted their attention away from Rose. Emma watched as the leather clad stranger pulled his bike up to the entrance to the green fence that stood outside the diner.

"You gonna come in?" Emma called out to him. Rose stirred in her arms, blinking sleepily towards August. He didn't turn off his bike but remained idle before her. "I thought you wanted that drink?"

"I do," he said, "But I didn't say here." He nodded towards the back of his motorcycle. "Hop on."

Emma gaped at him. "You want me to get on the back of that bike?"

"That's what hop on means." His grin was definitely what one called cheeky.

Well Rose's car-seat certainly wouldn't fit on that bike, so Emma thought of an alternative. "How about we go somewhere I drive?"

August didn't take the hint. "How about you stop having to control everything and take a leap of faith?"

Emma rolled her eyes and shook her head at him, but he wasn't deterred. "You owe me a drink, now hop on." He shrugged one shoulder with a grin. "I know a good watering hole."

That was when Granny decided to interject, "If you don't I will."

Emma looked back at her, gaping at her brazen comment but Granny just grinned. "And what am I supposed to do about Rose?" Emma asked, "Strap her to the back?"

"I'm not so old that I can't handle a little angel like her," Granny said. Angel wasn't exactly what Emma would describe her, but she was rather compliant at the moment. "Trust me, dates from guys like him don't grow on trees."

It was two against one so Emma had no choice but to pass Rose over to Granny. She let out a blurb of noise but settled back into Granny's arms, maybe even a little more awake now. Emma petted her curls once before smiling and promising that they would collect her later. August held out a spare helmet and she plopped it onto her head, buckling it beneath her chin. Emma waved goodbye to Rose before she circled her arms around August's waist as he revved the bike away.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'm not taking you into the woods to kill you."

"You can try, but I have a gun," she reminded him.

He let out a chuckle. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_

Granny didn't mind in the least that she had a toddler to take care of. Her daughter had died when Ruby was still little so she had practically raised her granddaughter herself. Now Ruby was older and far more rebellious than she ever had been as a teenager. It was a relief to have a child who's tantrums could be passed off as simply as needs such as food or attention rather than foolish immaturity.

The kitchens were no place for the girl so Granny set her on the counter with the Special's Board and some dry-erase markers. Rose enjoyed coloring the white expanse and then wiping it away with her hands. Her hands were now grey from the markers, but they would wash off easy enough. Sometimes kids just needed to make a mess.

"Ganny," Rose called out after an hour of playing with the markers, "Ganny, drink."

"You thirsty, little lamb?" Granny asked with a smile, "I'll get you some milk."

She had her waitress Lindsey fetch Rose a cup of milk which the child took and greedily slurped it up through her straw. She really was a dear little thing. Sweet and precious. "I can't imagine anyone abandoning you," Granny said as she combed her curls with her fingers.

Granny didn't know Alayna French, but her old fashioned set of values made her predisposed to not like her. What sort of woman had a child, never naming the father and then run off without any word of goodbye or destination? Oh she could understand women falling into hard times like Emma Swan and choosing to give the child up for it's well being. But Alayna hadn't been in that sort of situation. It was selfishness that had sent her away.

And what was worse, someone in this town was a father and didn't know it. She might have been keeping Rose from a perfectly good parent who was willing to take her in and treasure her the way she should.

But Granny kept her tongue silent around the child. Children shouldn't think the worst of their parents. Rose would have to deal with her mother when she was old enough to understand, but for now she had a grandfather who adored her and a town willing to adopt her as their newest little mascot.

The front door to the diner let out a ring and Granny looked up to see Shelia Ginger walking through the door. Ms. Ginger was the Deputy Mayor and a rather nosy busybody. She certainly wasn't Granny's favorite person, but if she was a customer then she would serve her.

Ms. Ginger took her seat at the counter, her eyes peering at the young child through her glasses. "Is that the French bastard?"

"Rose," Granny corrected, "What do you want?"

"Just some coffee, please."

Granny found a clean cup and pot and poured the requisite amount of coffee. Ms. Ginger poured a hefty amount of sugar into the brew. She continued to stare at Rose as she sipped her milk. "She'd be better off with Social Services."

"What makes you say that?" Granny said. She put her hand on the top of Rose's head, smoothing the curls down.

"Look at the people she has in her life," Ms. Ginger said, "Her mother wasn't married and abandoned her once she was born, her grandfather is a thief, and her two caretakers are a former juvenile delinquent and a tramp. At this rate she'll grow up to be another hooligan running around this town with no decency."

Granny glared at her, swatting the towel she'd been using onto the bar. "Moe French may have stolen from Mr. Gold, but he didn't deserve to be nearly beaten to death because of it and he only did it because Gold is a greedy monster with no heart in him. And Emma is the sheriff now and hasn't seen a lick of trouble since her youth. And you have no right calling Mary Margaret a tramp, she's a good woman."

"Good woman?" Ms. Ginger scoffed at that over her coffee cup. "I guess you haven't heard."

"Heard what?"

"That doe eyed school teacher was having an affair with David Nolan."

Granny stepped back, frowning at the Deputy Mayor. "David Nolan? No, that can't be right."

"It's true. The whole school is buzzing over how Kathryn Nolan marched in and slapped Miss Blanchard across the face. Regina tried to bury it, for Kathryn's sake, but it's all out now. It's been going on for weeks apparently."

It was a lot the fathom, but when Granny looked around the diner she could see the familiar sight of gossip spreading like wildfire. Mary Margaret had actually had a clandestine affair with a married man.

"If Moe is a smart man, he'd entrust the child with someone else," Ms. Ginger said, "Regina might be willing to take her in."

Granny's patience with Ms. Ginger had reached its limit. Rose had enough troubles, she didn't need the sort that went along with Regina Mills. "If you'll excuse me, I've got some business at the inn," Granny said.

She scooped up Rose and left Ms. Ginger to her gossip. Rose was blessedly oblivious to everything that had changed in the last five minutes in Storybrooke. She had no idea how lucky she was in that. So very lucky, indeed.

* * *

"You can't be serious."

Ruby was standing at the center of the lobby for the Bed and Breakfast with both hands on her hips. She had the night shift tonight at Granny's so she was dressed in her extra tight blue jeans, black t-shirt tied at the midriff with her signature red streaks in her hair. She knew Granny hated how she dressed but that was just incentive to keep it going.

"You say I'm always serious," Granny said. She had situated Rose onto the desk so she could button up her coat and tie her scarf around her neck.

"You can't leave me alone with the kid, I don't know the first thing to do with her."

"Just watch her, Ruby," Granny said, "Play with her a bit and make sure she stays out of trouble."

"Why is she with us to begin with? Why can't Emma and Mary Margaret take care of her?" That was their job after all, they had agreed to take care of her until Moe got out of the hospital. Nowhere in that contract was Ruby's name listed as a babysitter.

"Emma is on a date with Mr. Booth and Mary Margaret is clearly too busy to bother with her at the moment." The last part was muttered softly so Ruby had to strain to hear it. Yep, Granny had clearly heard the town's latest juicy tidbit. And it was so like her to live in her medieval standards and not the modern world.

"So you let Emma go out with the new guy in town but you want me stuck at home every single night," Ruby hissed.

"Emma is a responsible woman who can clearly take care of herself," Granny replied, "You act like a fifteen year old girl dreaming about becoming a prostitute."

Ruby glared at Granny and was about to say something just as cutting about her being a fossil, but her grandmother picked up Rose and pushed her into Ruby's arms. She had no choice but to hold onto the toddler so she wouldn't fall.

"I won't be gone too long," Granny said, "If you have trouble then call Mrs. Shoeman, she can help you."

"I hate Mrs. Shoeman," Ruby said.

"Then don't get into any trouble with Rose," Granny replied. "If she's hungry, give her some carrots or something and keep her away from the stairs. I don't want her and Moe to be reunited in the hospital because you let her break her leg."

"Gee, you have such faith in me, I'm so glad you're giving me this chance to prove myself," Ruby said with words as dry as sandpaper.

"I'll have faith in you when you learn to grow up," Granny said and then opened the door to walk out. Ruby glared at her then entire time.

Once she was gone, Ruby stared down the child she held in her arms, staring at her like she was Martian baby instead of human. "Good thing you're cute," Ruby said. There was no way she could carry a grudge with someone who had that face.

Rose wiggled out of Ruby's grasp soon enough so she put Rose on the ground and tried to play with her. Granny had found some old rag dolls, probably hers from the Stone Age. Rose played with them a bit, but seemed to have more fun throwing them around than playing make believe.

Finally she got tired of chasing Rose around so she made a pen for her out of chairs, the wall and a table turned over on it's side. Ruby sat down on the steps and read a magazine while Rose sucked on one of the legs of the doll. Hey, to each their own in Ruby's opinion.

She was busy taking a quiz about whether or not she let men rule her life when she heard someone clear their throat. Ruby peered up from the glossy pages to find Mr. Gold standing in the lobby now. Crap, it was Saturday. Rent day.

"You're early, Mr. Gold," Ruby said.

"My schedule was clear," he said and then pointed to the mess of upturned chairs that trapped Rose. "What is that?"

Ruby shrugged one shoulder. "Emma and Mary Margaret are busy so Granny decided to take care of her and now I'm stuck with her."

"I already deduced as much, but why have you overturned your furniture?"

"She's kind of wild," Ruby explained, "So I made a pen for her. She can't get out of there."

"Yes, I'm sure it's structurally sound," Gold said in that dry tone of his. Well she didn't care if he had faith in her. Besides, what did it matter to him that Rose was barred away by furniture?

"I'll get your money," Ruby said.

Granny usually kept the bundle of cash for their monthly rent behind the desk in a box. But when Ruby opened it she saw it was empty. Not a surprise since Gold was early and Granny probably hadn't expected him until tonight, but still inconvenient.

"Great," she muttered. Now she would have to go to the safe in the back and count out the rent herself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Ruby said, standing up from her crouch on the floor, "Your money's in the back. I'll go get it, Mr. Gold."

Gold watched as Ruby whirled around and abandoned the room without a care to the fact that it was occupied by a child. He nearly said something to that affect but she was gone too quickly. "Clearly you have a problem with priorities," he said to the empty space she'd occupied.

For the first time since he'd become aware of her existence, he was alone with Rose. He wasn't sure if he should be thrilled or terrified. He'd been torn up inside since he'd first seen her, sometimes deciding he should ignore her but more often anxious to hear any bit of news about her. He hated not knowing. He hated his fears. If she wasn't his, would that knowledge make him hate her? She would be the tangible proof that he had cast Belle into the twisted desires of wicked men. Proof that he had utterly failed the woman who had only offered him her love, something only Bae had give him.

Rose looked up at him with her large brown eyes for a while. She didn't know him. She was probably curious about who he was. She had no idea that he had loved her mother, nor that a small part of him already…no, best not to think on that.

Gold turned away from her and looked back at the door Ruby had disappeared into. Where the hell was that wolf girl? Was she so incompetent that she couldn't count as well as babysit a child properly?

His own foolishness made itself abundantly clear when he heard the distinct sound of wood slamming to the ground. He turned around to see that Rose had managed to crawl through space between the overturned table and a chair set on it's side, inadvertently knocking the chair onto it's back in her quest. She did gain her freedom and the object of her desire was the staircase.

Gold acted fast, using his cane to hook the strap of her pink overalls so she was stopped short of her plans. Rose twisted and grunted in her effort to be free, but he smiled to himself as he pulled her back in until she was at arms reach. "Clever girl, but if you're as clumsy as your mother you're bound to wind up with a cracked skull or worse."

Rose let out a whimper when she was first scooped up, but now that she was face to face with him she stopped protesting. She was staring at him again and he was staring right back. He'd been this close to her before, but now that he was alone it was easier to let truths he'd tried to hide come forth.

He could never hate her, never not want her. She was Belle's daughter. Belle. He'd lost her because of his foolishness, even if Rose was not a result of their coupling he owed it to Belle to take care of her daughter.

"I promise," he whispered, "I won't let anything hurt you. I swear it on your mother's soul."

Rose didn't understand what he'd just said. But she kept looking at him like she was seeing something else. There was something very strange about her, but he couldn't put his finger on the cause. It had nothing to do with her brown eyes or her mother's hair and nose, it was the way she looked at things, it was how she behaved. There was something there.

"What are you doing?"

Ruby's interruption made it impossible for him to get to the bottom of Rose's little mysterious ways. He turned around coolly and gave her his usual impassive look. "Your job," he answered, "Apparently your master skills of engineering are rusty. She was well on her way to climbing those stairs before I caught her."

Ruby shrugged. "The job was thrust on me, you can't expect me to be an expert on kids."

"At this rate I would say she'd be better of raised by wolves." He relished the irony in his words though it went over Ruby's cursed brain.

"Well take that up with Emma then because it isn't my problem, I'm just playing the begrudging babysitter at the moment."

Ruby held up the roll of cash. "Trade?"

He would gladly forgo the money if it meant keeping Rose in his arms, but Gold knew he had no choice in the matter. He grit his teeth and held out Rose for Ruby to take. She struggled and he had to bite his tongue to keep from barking at her to get it right, he'd show his hand if he did and Regina was sure to find out. Instead he took the money and slipped it into his empty pocket.

"Thank you, dear," he said, a slight bitterness creeping into his tone.

"See you next month, Mr. Gold," Ruby said. It wasn't a friendly form of goodbye by any means. His hand was on the doorknob when one word made him stop.

"Gol."

Rose. She'd just said his name. He couldn't help but turn around and look back at that sweet, exquisite little face. She smiled at him and pointed. "Gol," she said again.

He swallowed back a fresh wave of tears, a mixture of joy and sorrow that brewed distastefully in the pit of his stomach. But he couldn't help but give her just a little nod, a slight smile curving his mouth as he did. But he still left the inn without another word.

When he was outside he stopped and shut his eyes, taking in a deep breath. It felt like when he'd forced Belle out of the castle. It was the pain of a self inflicted wound, one he knew couldn't be healed unless he had her back. But that couldn't happen, not yet anyways. And so the torture would continue. He would learn to endure it.

* * *

Every day has something to be learned, and apparently today Mary Margaret was learning what it was like to be ignored and whispered about all at the same time. Everywhere she went people stared at her. Nobody talked to her, they just talked about her.

She didn't bother to collect her car, she'd rather walk today. Talking with David and seeing him trying to wipe off the stain that was the absolute truth now was just too much. She'd had enough with her life for the day. All she wanted to do was go home and pretend she was somebody else.

Emma had sent her a message saying that she'd left Rose with Granny and asked her to pick her up. In a way, she was glad she'd already run into Granny in town. At least she knew she wouldn't have to face more of her disapproval when she gathered Rose.

One quick look at the diner through the windows showed that Rose wasn't in there so Mary Margaret walked to the inn next. She was greeted to the sounds of a bawling baby when she walked in.

"You don't want to eat, you don't need changing, and you're not hurt so what's wrong with you?" Ruby groaned from the floor. For some odd reason she was sitting in the center of a space surrounded by overturned furniture. Rose was on her back, flailing her little limbs with a red, streaked face. It looked like Ruby was close to crying herself.

When she noticed the door close, Ruby glanced up and let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Mary Margaret, thank God. Can you tell me what's wrong with her?"

"Uh, I think she's tired," Mary Margaret said over the noise, "It's close to her bedtime."

Ruby blinked at her. "Babies cry when they're tired?"

"She probably wants to go to bed but you don't have one here."

"Okay then." Ruby picked up Rose and hopped over a chair before handing her to Mary Margaret, "I guess that means she needs to go home."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Thanks, Ruby."

Rose quieted after a few bounces, settling her head on Mary Margaret's shoulder and sucking on her thumb. She would probably fall asleep on the walk home. Mary Margaret was turning around when Ruby called, "Hey wait, are you okay?"

She considered lying, but what good would that do with her dirty laundry painted on her car for everyone to see. "No."

"Look, uh, I know things are…well bad, but…I don't think, well I've got no reason to judge you. So if you want to talk, you can."

Mary Margaret gave the girl a soft, sad little smile and shook her head. "That's kind of you, but I…I don't really want to talk about it. I don't think it would do me any good."

"Okay," Ruby said, "I just want to help you feel better."

"I don't think anyone can."

Ruby shrugged and then pointed to the dozing child in her arms. "I don't know, I bet she could do it."

Mary Margaret looked down at Rose. Her brown eyes were heavy and fully of sleep. She had one hand wrapped around her scarf with her thumb stuck in her mouth. "I mean, I know she can't exactly give advice," Ruby said, "But she also can't judge you or hate you or anything."

It wasn't exactly reassuring, but it was the truth. Rose didn't know what was going on nor did she care. She just needed someone to love her and she was more than willing to love them right back, not matter what they did. Mary Margaret smiled again, this time with a little warmth. "Thanks again, Ruby. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

It was a small comfort to have Rose's little warm body wrapped in her arms. That was all Mary Margaret wanted right now, proof that despite everything she had done, despite her love being so foolish and wrong, she had given some of her love to someone who did deserve it and never lied to her. It didn't stop the tears from falling, but it did make her feel a little less like a fool.

* * *

Emma was feeling pretty good after giving Henry his book of fairy tales back. It had been wonderful to see a look of pure joy on his face. While she wasn't exactly thrilled that Operation Cobra was back on, at least it meant she would be spending more time with him in the future. That was all she could hope for now.

It was late and she was exhausted, she was actually looking forward to a quiet evening at home with little Rose. But when she entered the apartment she realized that things were far worse than she realized.

Word had reached her that Mary Margaret's illicit relationship with David was now public knowledge, how could it not? She knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of bitterness and how hard to was when stupid decisions came crashing down. So she understood that devastation completely.

Mary Margaret was lying in her bed, curled up in a fetal position with Rose asleep next her. She had her arms wrapped around her like the child was the anchor keeping her together.

Emma pulled off her jacket slowly, keeping her eye on her friend. Then she slowly walked towards the bed, feeling more than a little awkward. "You feel like talking about it yet?"

Her friend didn't move, didn't look at her. Just continued to stare over Rose's head at the table beside her, her tears seeping into the pillow. "Nope."

She was surprised by that answer, after all she never liked talking about her personal at all. But her compassion was welling forth. "You want to be alone?" She was almost afraid of the answer, she didn't want to leave Mary Margaret to wallow in her self-pity alone, it would hurt her too much. When had she become the girl who gave a shoulder to cry on? It appeared Storybrooke was changing her in more ways then one.

"Nope," was Mary Margaret's husky and tearful reply.

Emma actually sighed slightly in relief. She was glad that maybe she could do something to help her friend.

She eyed the expanse of empty mattress beside Mary Margret and slowly lay down next to her. Careful not to be too close but just enough so that her friend knew she wasn't alone. Rose still slept on, her heavy breathing the only sound besides Mary Margret's quiet crying.

The little girl was a comfort too, even if only a reminder that there were beautiful things in this world.

* * *

A/N: Not a lot with Alayna and the mystery of Rose's father in this chapter, but that will return soon, I promise. Please review and tells us what you think.

Next chapter, it's miner's day and Mary Margaret has to bring Rose with her and Leroy in their quest to sell candles and save the nuns. Meanwhile, Emma looks into Kathryn's disappearance and Ruby has to babysit again, resulting in more disapproval from Mr. Gold.


	6. The Bologna Song

Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time is a great show, unfortunately it's not ours. Only Rose is our creation.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Big things are coming up and we are anxious to get to them which is why we got this chapter out so quickly. It's much longer than the last one and is the beginning of Emma's upcoming struggle of juggling a toddler and a saving Mary Margaret all at the same time. However, we won't be jumping straight to that right away. Let's say Emma finds something else in her other case: the case to find Rose's father. (wink wink)

A/N Nerwen Aldarion:I love this chapter, it's quite a bit of fun but you guys will get some scenes you all have been dying for hehehe. But the next chapter is the one I'm really looking forward to. Just wait hehehe.

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**kana117:** Sometimes people just can't see what's right in front of them, LOL. But don't worry, the blinders will be coming off soon.

**reviewer:** As funny as it would be to have Emma go around swabbing every guy in town, that would take a lot of time and spit. However, she will get a huge break very, very soon.

**NOTE:** The song Rose loves comes from this popular commercial I'm sure most you have seen. For those that haven't, this is the link. Just remove the excess spaces and the parenthesis around the slash. www . youtube . com (/) watch?v=sqenc937hN4

* * *

Chapter 6: The Bologna Song

Despite Mary Margaret's latest project with the Storybrooke nuns, their typical weekly routine continued. On Saturdays, Emma, Mary Margaret and Rose always had breakfast at Granny's. The only thing that was different this Saturday morning was that Mary Margaret had left absurdly early to begin her charity work at the convent. A couple of weeks ago, the prospect of getting Rose dressed and settled would have terrified her, but now Emma was completely used to the child and her needs. Sometimes she forgot this was only a temporary arrangement, that Rose had a grandfather still healing and waiting for her.

But right now, Rose was hers and Mary Margaret's to share and that suited them both just fine. Emma went about her new typical routine, tidying up Rose's toys in between sips of coffee as well as finishing her morning preparations. Meanwhile, Rose was fully dressed and parked in front of the TV with Susu. _The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh_ was her favorite show so Emma could do just about anything with Rose completely absorbed with whatever antics that chubby bear and his forest friends were up to this morning.

Rose didn't make a sound, but her big brown eyes were set firmly on Pooh. Sometimes she might let out a laugh, but Emma had learned when Rose needed extra attention. Her little mutterings and babbles always got a softer, more curious edge whenever she was headed towards trouble. But right now she was just enjoying herself with Pooh. No harm in any of it.

Emma picked up the paper from the front doorstep and managed to scan a few of the headlines. Nothing terribly exciting today. For the most part, Storybrooke was the perfect slice of small town USA. Even if Emma and Regina's little feud did sometimes lend itself to more interesting drama that belonged in _Peyton Place_.

She had hoped to read some more of the paper, but the TV decided to ruin her plans. She caught the first barbs of the littler girl singing, "My bologna has a first name" far too late.

"No!" Emma shouted and dashed for the remote. Meanwhile, Rose had started laughing and clapping her hands. "Bawoney song! Bawoney song!" she shouted over and over even after Emma had shut off the power to the TV.

It had started last week, just before Mary Margaret and David's secret affair became the juiciest addition to the Storybrooke gossip mills. Emma silently cursed Oscar Mayer for inventing that damned song to begin with, but she supposed that the king of lunch meat couldn't have foreseen this problem.

Rose had happened to watch the commercial with all of the little kids singing a song in praise of bologna and decided it was the greatest song of all time. She had started insisting that her two caretakers sing it to her every chance she got. It had gotten so bad that they had taken to avoiding the word bologna all together.

"Bawoney song?" Rose said with her eyes beginning to brim with disappointed tears.

Emma sighed, resigning herself to her fate. "Fine, you win," she said. She cleared her throat and shook her head at what she knew would be a terrible rendition of a very annoying song. "My bologna has a first name/It's O-S-C-A-R."

At the first verse, Rose was laughing again and clapping her little hands.

"My bologna has a second name/It's M-A-Y-E-R./Oh I love to eat it every day/And if you ask my why I'll say/That Oscar Mayer has a way/With B-O-L-O-G-N-A."

Rose laughed at the conclusion, clapping joyfully. Emma couldn't help but smile back. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Again! Again!"

"Oh no," Emma said with a shake of her head and bent down to scoop Rose up, "It's time for breakfast. Maybe you can get Granny to sing it to you."

Granny's was crowded this morning, despite it's early hour. Emma could see that they were setting up stuff in the town square. It was a small town so it was probably some odd festival or something, maybe a Lobster Fest or Apple Harvest Fair. She didn't know what they did around here, even if she was the sheriff.

Rose loved the crowd, immediately letting out a loud, "Hi!" once they walked into the door. Several waved at her in greeting, but Granny came rushing from the behind the counter and held out her arms. "Hello, little lamb. How are we this morning?"

"She's cheerful as ever," Emma said as she passed Rose over to the older woman.

"Guess what's our special today?" Granny asked Rose, "Chocolate chip waffles, does that sound yummy?"

"Yummy," Rose repeated.

"Moe is going to kill me when he gets back a spoiled brat instead of a sweet toddler," Emma said with a grin. Every time they walked into Granny's, Rose got a cookie, a cupcake or a special pancake made just for her. The little tyke loved the attention. Emma sometimes wondered if Granny was her favorite person because of the special treatment she got from her. Then again, Rose always smiled at everyone, even grouchy Leroy.

"She is such a doll though," Granny said, tapping Rose on the nose to make her giggle. "Would you mind if I showed her off to Sally Shoeman? She loves children."

"Go right ahead," Emma said, "I'll go find us a table before they're all gone."

There was a corner table in the back of the diner was still open and would serve as the perfect place for her to read her paper while Rose could people watch. That is if Granny ever opted to return her.

Ruby walked up in her normal, skimpy uniform with a pot of coffee and an empty cup. "What can I get you?"

"Anything but bologna," Emma said. She still had that damn song stuck in her head.

Ruby blinked at her. "What?"

"Never mind, I'll have French toast and Rose will have _one_ chocolate chip waffle and hold the whipped cream this time. She'll be hyper enough on the chocolate."

Ruby grinned. "You got it."

Granny brought back Rose at the same time Ruby brought out their food. "Sally loved her," Granny said as she handed her back to Emma, "She might ask you to adopt her, don't accept because she's serious."

"I'm thinking she's not the only one," Emma teased.

Granny chuckled and patted Rose's curls. "Holler if you need anything."

Rose dug into her chocolate chip waffle with her usual hearty appetite. Emma read her paper, ate her breakfast and stopped to occasionally wipe Rose's face clean with a napkin with a newfound ability to multi-task. She had learned that being a mother meant having the ability to do about six things at once with only two hands. It took a while, but now she'd gotten the hang of it.

They both finished their meals but Emma was reluctant to leave immediately. The coffee was good, Rose was immersed in coloring and Emma liked the homey feeling of having a child in her lap as she read her paper. It felt like she finally had a family.

Emma didn't look up from her paper until she heard Mary Margaret clear her throat. "Excuse me," her roommate said from the front of the diner. She had a clipboard in her hand that she held out like a shield to protect herself from the malicious stares and gossip, "Can I have everyone's attention please?"

Emma watched as everyone did finally look at her, but she knew they weren't interested in a word she had to say. She was the only one that actually listened to her. Even Rose was more interested in crayons.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your morning, but I just want to remind everyone that a very special occasion is upon us." She said the words so fast that she would have beaten Seabiscuit in a race. "Miner's Day," Mary Margaret announced in a voice that came out shaky instead of chipper.

"As always, the nuns of Storybrooke are hoping that everyone will get involved and help sell their exquisite candles." She now had a large smile on her face, but her eyes kept darting around in spite of her false cheer. "All we need are a few energetic volunteers. So who wants to join me?"

It was like watching a Greek tragedy. Mary Margaret looked around hopefully, but the diner's residents only gave her blank stares before turning back to their meals. The whispers began immediately.

"Gumpy," Rose said and waved one hand at Leroy who was walking towards Mary Margaret. Emma wasn't a fool, she knew the town drunk had no intention of signing up to sell candles. The day Leroy did anything out of kindness would be the day Mr. Gold donated half of his money to charity.

Mary Margaret and Leroy spoke for a minute, but her face soon fell from one of hope to one of pain. It was a look she wore every time she walked down the street for the past week. Emma watched as Mary Margaret struggled with tears before she unfurled her coat and walked out of the diner.

"Mawry sad," Rose said glumly.

"Yeah, let's go cheer her up," Emma said. She took her keys, paper and Rose and hurried out of the diner after her friend.

Mary Margaret had her head down into her clipboard. This was the woman who smiled at everyone, who never had an unkind word on her lips and who always, always followed the speed limit to a T. She shouldn't become the town pariah just because she made the mistake of falling for Mr. Wrong. Emma knew that mistake far too well.

"Hey," Emma called out, "Mind if we join you?" Mary Margaret just shook her head solemnly. Not even Rose could cheer her up this morning.

"So what the hel—," Emma remembered the child with very eager ears in her arms and quickly amended her vocabulary, "_heck_ is Miner's Day and why are you beating yourself up over it?"

"It's an annual holiday celebrating an old tradition," Mary Margaret explained as they walked, "The nuns used to make candles and trade them with the miners for coal."

That struck Emma as a little odd. "Coal? In Maine?" She couldn't recall hearing any of that coming out of the seafaring state. "If they were mining for lobster I'd understand—."

"Dust," Rose chose to randomly admit into the conversation. She did that sometimes.

"Look, I don't know," Mary Margaret said with a groan, "Now they use it as a fundraiser. It's an amazing party," she continued, "Everyone loves it."

"Doesn't seem like everyone loves it," Emma said. No one leapt out of their seats to help the nuns back at the diner.

"It's not Miner's Day," Mary Margaret said, "It's me." She gestured to her empty clipboard. "Last week I had ten volunteers, this week they all dropped out."

"You think this is about what happened with David?"

"Oh I know it is, a few of them told me as much." She looked straight ahead, probably seeing more stares from the town folk as she walked past them. "I've never been a…homewrecker before." She choked a bit on her new label.

"It's going to blow over," Emma promised her. She knew that much was true, gossip always had an expiration date. "You made a mistake with David, it happens. But you don't have to do charity work to win people's hearts back."

"Well I have to do something," Mary Margaret insisted, "And this is the best I can do." She gazed down at her feet as she walked. Yeah, on the list of good deeds selling candles was at the very bottom of it. "I've ruined my life."

Emma wanted to refute that claim since she knew firsthand that sleeping with the wrong person was not enough to destroy a person, but her phone chirped.

"Uh oh," Rose chimed in to say at the ring. Sometimes the kid had excellent timing.

Emma answered the phone with a "Sheriff Swan."

"Hi, this is Jim. I'm the school gym teacher. I need to talk to you at the station about something."

"Yeah," she said, "I'll be right down." She sighed and met Mary Margaret's eyes. "Apparently duty calls." Mary Margaret nodded a little, obviously reluctant to let go of the support she desperately needed. Emma couldn't stay, but someone smaller and always bubbly could.

"Here," Emma said and handed Rose over to her, "You can handle her for the day, right?"

"Of course, I've got nothing else to do, it seems."

Emma sighed again and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hang in there, and if there is anything I can do to help, I will."

"I know," she said, this time actually having a bit of cheer to her voice, "Thank you."

Emma smiled and gave Rose a little wave before heading off towards her car. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day for them both.

* * *

Now that she was wearing a visible Scarlett letter the one place the Mary Margaret could go without being judged immediately was ironically the convent. The nuns didn't seem fazed by the rumors, accepting her help graciously during the Miner's day festivities. Of course it was also a big help that she had Rose with her.

Rose was passed from one nun to the next, they all fawned over her and Rose adored all of the attention. Smiling at each one of them, laughing and giggling, it appeared she had the power to make anyone happy.

Eventually Mother Superior came in and smiled at the little tyke. "Well hello there little one. I haven't seen you since you were born."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Oh yes, I forgot that she was born here."

"It was a long time ago, but it is still wonderful to see her, she's gotten so big."

She laid a gentle hand on Rose's curls and the little girl looked up at her with her big brown eyes. "Bwue!"

Mother Superior laughed lightly. "Yes I'm wearing blue, and you are a very smart little girl." She affectionately touched Rose's nose before walking away to continue with her duties.

Not far behind, Sister Astrid walked into the room, carrying a big box of crepe stars only to spill them all onto the floor.

"Star!" Rose piped out and Sister Astrid looked up to see her.

"Oh my goodness, Rose!" she said before standing up, tripping over one of the stars. "I haven't seen you in so long."

"That's right," Mary Margaret said, "You're her godmother."

Sister Astrid looked at the other woman awkwardly. "Can I…may I hold her?"

"Of course," Mary Margaret replied before gently handing the toddler over to her godmother.

The nun did look a little unsure of herself as she held the baby in her arms but she smiled down at Rose. "Hello there, do you remember me? I was there when you were born."

Rose blinked up at her and sucked on the antennae over her butterfly. "Star," she said again, but softer now.

She laughed now. "I know, I dropped the stars…I'm always dropping things."

The little girl smiled up at her, melting her heart and erasing any lingering embarrassment. "You look like your mother," Astrid said gently. She gazed at Rose for a few more minutes before turning her attention back to Mary Margaret. "I should get back to work."

Mary Margaret nodded, accepting Rose back, "Me too, but she'll be here for a while."

"Good." Astrid said before turning back to the stars that still littered the floor. Mary Margaret set Rose down next to her at the table with a blank sheet of paper and several crayons. The little girl was content to color while the adults in the room were busy preparing for the festival.

She was still busy working when she was interrupted by Leroy's question. "Where can I sign up?" Mary Margaret frowned as soon as she saw him and turned her attention back to her work. "What? I want to volunteer to sell candles."

"No you don't, you made that very clear this morning at Granny's."

"Well…maybe I saw the light. Maybe someone showed it to me?" he stepped around the table, "What difference is it, sister. It looks like you can use all the help you can get." He looked down at Rose, "unless the kid is helping you."

Mary Margaret weighed the pros and cons of working with Leroy. Cons: he was a foul mouthed drunk that was rude to anyone and everything. Pro:…he was here.

"Okay, I need help manning the candle booth," she admitted, handing him a clipboard for him to sign up on, "No swearing, no drinking, and I get to call all the shots!"

Leroy signed his name while staring off in the direction of Astrid and Mother Superior. Mary Margaret barely noticed but Rose was watching him intently. "Gumpy," she said softly.

It didn't take long for Leroy to walk away and Mary Margaret wasn't all that surprised. She wasn't sure what he was doing here in the first place.

"This is a bad idea, isn't it?" She said to Rose.

Rose looked up at her and blinked twice. "Mawry…Mawry smile!"

Well it worked; she did smile softly before kissing the little girl's head. The child had a way of making every moment brighter.

While working she couldn't help but overhear the conversation Leroy was having with Astrid. Apparently the good intention is clumsy nun had made the mistake of spending all of their stipend on helium and now they were in trouble of paying their rent. Mary Margaret knew the situation was bad; Mr. Gold wasn't exactly kind to his tenants. Look at what had happened to Jordan Walker and Rose's grandfather.

But she rolled her eyes with Leroy declared. "You know why you only sold forty-two last year? Because you didn't have me." Yes, Leroy was such a big help in that regard.

"This year we're going to sell all of them."

Wait, what did he just say?

She gaped at the two of them in shock while Astrid exclaimed, "Wow, Leroy…I guess you really are my hero."

Mary Margaret struggled to figure out what exactly was going on and how Leroy was going to get his giant foot out of his mouth for this one. Rose was looking at the two of them too. "Wuv," she said softly.

"No," Mary Margaret said, "that's stupidity."

* * *

Apparently there was booth set up in the town square where they were supposed to sell their candles. Leroy had some dim memories of seeing it before, but he'd never cared about the stupid festival enough to pay any attention. Now he eagerly lifted boxes full of candles so they could be loaded up and brought to the booth, just as long as Astrid was watching.

Mary Margaret was checking off the number of candles so Astrid had agreed to watch the kid. He didn't know why the whole place had gone gaga for the brat. Fine, she was small and cute (even he begrudgingly admitted that fact) but like all kids she was sticky, had a tendency to drip fluids from various orifices, and had no concept of volume, as in lower it. Astrid didn't seem to care that she was drooling and laughing at so high a pitch that a dog would go insane, she just continued to play along with her.

The Mother Superior finally clocked out for a while so he felt safe enough to venture over and talk to Astrid again. "So, uh," he said, reaching for some way to begin a conversation, "You like the kid don't you?"

"Oh yes, Rose is just adorable," Astrid said.

"Yeah," he agreed, "I guess she is." Though he didn't understand why she kept calling him that weird green thing, Gumby or whatever it was a called. No, she'd called him Gumpy. Kids, you never know what's going on in their weird minds.

"She was so beautiful when she was born," Astrid said, one hand gently stroking Rose's silky curls. That actually seemed to keep her calm.

"You were there when she was born?"

"Oh yes, Rose was born here," Astrid explained, "Her mother stayed with us for most of her pregnancy."

"Really?" That was odd, but considering that would mean seeing Astrid every single day, Leroy could certainly see the appeal of staying here.

His curiosity compelled him to ask, "What was she like?"

"Alayna?" Astrid asked and he nodded. "Oh she was so sweet. She loved to read too. She read all of the books we had here, which aren't very diverse mind you. I even snuck in a few more for her to read." She smiled and leaned forward to whisper, "Don't tell Mother Superior that."

"I won't," he promised her. He liked the idea of the two of them sharing a secret, even if it was completely harmless like that.

"We all liked her here. It was really sad when she and Rose left us."

Leroy could tell Astrid had lost a true friend when Alayna had moved on. Astrid didn't exactly fit in with the other nuns. Sure, she was just as pious but she had more spirit and a constant dreamy look in her eyes. She didn't need spiritual mentors or sisters of faith, but friends to laugh and share good times with.

"Shame I didn't know her," he said, only to break the sad silence that had come between them.

"There's a picture of her over there." Astrid pointed to a wall that had a series of pictures from the convent. "Come on, Rose, let's go see your mother."

Astrid carried Rose in her arms to the wall and Leroy followed. He had a feeling she could go anywhere and he would do just that, even if all it ever brought him was pain and misery. He couldn't remember ever feeling anything like this before.

Astrid balanced Rose on one hip as she pointed to a picture. "That's Alayna. That's your mother, Rose."

"Momma," Rose repeated, one little reaching out to touch the glass that enclosed the picture of the woman who had given birth to her.

Leroy was transfixed by the image of Astrid in the picture at first. She was sitting on the ground in a rose garden, her skirts prettily arranged around her but her bare feet poked free. Yes, this was an image he would never forget, Astrid free and unbound.

But next to her was the woman she wanted him to see. Alayna was a beautiful woman and quite obviously pregnant in the picture. One hand rested on her belly while the other held and open book. They must have been reading together when someone thought to take a picture of the two of them.

It took him a moment, but then something tickled at the back of his mind. He found himself staring longer at Alayna than he did of Astrid. Not because of his feelings, but because he could swear he knew that face from somewhere before. He tried to think back, to force his memory to give up it's secrets, but all he got was some hazy images.

Blue eyes that matched a working dress. They were sad as they stared down into her untouched cup.

A warm smile as she laughed at his own innocence, not mocking him but encouraging him to understand what she was trying to say.

And she said something about love, hopes and dreams. Love being hope and fueling dreams or something like that.

Yes, he knew these things, but when he tried to remember where this had happened it wouldn't fit together. It was like he'd known her, but not here. Not in Storybrooke…somewhere else. Somewhere far away.

"Leroy?"

He blinked and let the sensation of déjà vu drift away. "Sorry, guess I was daydreaming."

Astrid smiled and reached out to pat his shoulder. "You're so great to talk to and I wish we could talk more, but it looks like they're getting ready to go."

Yep, when he turned around he saw that the last box of candles had been loaded up and Mary Margaret was finishing her tally on the clipboard. "Guess I'm on duty," he said.

"Good luck," Astrid said, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

His heart stopped when she did that. Then he smiled back at her. Oh yeah, he was going to sell those candles, every single one of them. If only so he could see her smile one last time.

* * *

"So how exactly are we going to do this?" Leroy asked Mary Margaret once they had arrived at the booth.

Mary Margaret set Rose down on a table and whirled around to face him. "You're kidding, right? I just explained that we reach out to people at the fair and try to convince them to sell the candles. It's not hard, Leroy."

He blinked once and then pointed towards Rose. "I mean how exactly are we going to do this with that kid?"

She shrank down from her rigid height, cowed by his understandable question. "Oh," she said softly. She could ask Granny to watch Rose, but she really wasn't up for another disapproving look from her again. She'd already had a hundred of those today. Emma was too busy with some big case, so there truly was no one else. Not unless Rose's mysterious father suddenly materialized and was willing to watch her for a few hours.

So Mary Margaret but on a bright smile and said. "She'll just be our little mascot."

One of Leroy's black brows arched. "You gonna sew her a costume or something?"

"No, we'll just keep her at the front of the booth, keep her out of trouble and when people come over to see her we'll try to convince them to buy the candles."

"That's a lot of faith in someone who can't even spell her name."

"I'm calling the shots, remember?" She grabbed two candles and shoved them into his chest. "Stop complaining and start selling."

"Whatever you say, sister."

Rose sat at the front of the booth, surprisingly well-behaved. Mary Margaret had feared she would get bored and start voicing her complaints, but she seemed to enjoy just sitting their a people watching. She would laugh and point at people, making her odd little comments, like "wittle man" when Walter walked by or "Mouse" when Billy walked past with a ladder to adjust some lights.

"Who do you think gave her her brains?" Leroy asked after she called Allison Waters 'fishy', "Because I think they may need to forgo more kids."

"Leroy, she's not even two yet, so just give her a break," Mary Margaret said. The nuns had given one thousand, four hundred and nineteen candles to sell and so far all of them were still in their boxes.

"Doesn't she watch that show with the giant bird? Isn't that supposed to teach them stuff."

Mary Margaret shut her eyes and resisted the urge to let out a growl of frustration. "Leroy, Rose has at least attracted people to this booth. Now do your job and sell the candles."

She was right. The townsfolk would wave to Rose, smile at her and sometimes come over and ruffle her curls but no one wanted to buy the candles. Emma was the first person who came by and actually spoke to the adults and not the child.

"Hey," she said, "How's it going?"

"Great," Mary Margaret said with far too much cheer. Even she was appalled at how pathetic her tone was.

Leroy just let out a grunt of a greeting and then asked, "Are you taking the kid?"

"No, sorry," Emma gave Mary Margaret and apologetic smile, "I'm actually looking for Sidney. Did he pass by here?"

"Yeah, about ten minutes ago," Mary Margaret said and pointed towards where the carnival games had been set up, "He was headed that way."

"Thanks." Emma gave Rose a quick kiss on the top of her head before walking off.

Mary Margaret let out a sigh of defeat as she watched her friend walk away, but she didn't let it show for long. She put on her extra bright smile and called out, "Get your Miner's Day Candles here! Handmade by Storybrooke's very own nuns!"

Meanwhile, Leroy just stood there looking bored.

"Light your way to a good cause!" Even that sounded corny to her own ears, but she was desperate.

Mary Margaret sat back on her heels and stared at the two candles she had in her hands. They were getting no where. At this rate, the nuns would be stuck with all of the candles. The only bright side was the fact that they would save a lot of money on electricity for the next couple of months. But it wouldn't pay their rent.

"This isn't working," Mary Margaret said.

"You're right," Leroy said, "We should pack it up."

"Now you're quitting." It wasn't a surprise. Leroy had probably taken a sharp blow to the head, that's why he agreed to volunteer in he first place. Now he was regaining his drunken senses and ready to get back to his regular life.

But Leroy surprised her by saying, "If the customers won't come to us, we've got to go to them. Door-to-door."

So that was his brilliant plan. Obviously the alcohol he regularly consumed had damaged his mind. "If they hate us here, what makes you think they'll like us in their homes?"

"Exactly," he said with a smile, the first one she'd ever seen on him, "They'll pay us just to leave."

Leroy turned around to pack the candles back into their boxes while Mary Margaret thought over what he'd just said. Maybe he wasn't so harebrained after all. Though she still couldn't wrap around his change of heart since this morning. It was like someone had dumped fairy dust on his head and turned him into a person willing to help others. _Great, now you sound like Henry,_ she thought.

So she helped grab the boxes and then removed Rose from her perch. "You really want to bring the kid?" Leroy asked, "She'll slow us down."

"She'll win us customers," Mary Margaret insisted, "They'll love her and want to buy some candles."

"Like she did here?"

"She'll give us sympathy buys," Mary Margaret insisted. Leroy muttered something under his breath, probably something too colorful for Rose to hear.

She found the opportunity to prove her point when they saw Emma talking to Sidney Glass by the ring toss booth. "Oh Emma!" she called out to grab her attention. "Help us out. What's more sympathetic? Baby or no baby?"

Emma blinked at her with her large blue eyes and then said, "Baby…where else can she go?"

Mary Margaret thought about that for a moment. "Right," she said. It's not like Rose could be sent home, she had to go with them no matter what.

"Come on, we're on a schedule," Leroy said, urging them on.

"Gumpy hurry," Rose said.

"I'm not Gumby," Leroy growled out, sounding a bit more like his old self again.

That just made Rose laugh and clap her little hands. "Gumpy! Gumpy!"

Mary Margaret just smiled at Leroy's exasperated look. It was amusing that Rose kept calling him that, but it wasn't too surprising. She called Ruby 'Red' and Archie 'Bug'. A child's imagination was a precious thing and she hoped she never lost it.

They stopped outside the first house they saw and Mary Margaret assessed the situation. "Okay, Leroy," she said, "You hold the box and be cheerful."

"Cheerful?" he reiterated.

She pursed her lips and then shrugged. "How about I do all of the talking?"

"You got it, sister."

Inspiration struck as they were going up the walkway. "Wait, give me one of the candles," she said. Leroy gave her a puzzled look as he handed her one and then blinked at her like she was nuts when she gave it to Rose. "Rose, you hold the candle and smile when they open the door, okay?"

"You think the kid can understand instructions?" Leroy scoffed with something that sounded like a grumble and a laugh combined.

Mary Margaret just shot him a look before she knocked on the door. An old man she didn't recognize opened the door. He had a very large carrot that he was nibbling on. "Bunny," Rose said, and pointed with her free hand.

"Hi," Mary Margaret said, "We're selling candles for Miner's Day. As you can see, our little assistant here has one she wants to show you."

The man didn't pay any attention to Rose or the candle she held, but gave Mary Margaret a cursory look, taking in her hair and going down to her toes and then settling at her chest. It was obvious that he knew exactly who she was and what she was now famous for.

She was a bit relieved when a woman came to the door. That relief faded when the woman shot her a disapproving glare. "We're not interested." And then shut the door on them.

"Bye bye bunny," Rose said to the closed door and waved.

"What's your next bright idea, sister?" Leroy asked.

They tried being extra cheerful next, something Rose was very good at. But she guessed that Leroy's smile was just too fake to be believed because they were ignored then too. They moved on sad and pleading, but that failed also. In fact, every house they tried rejected them, no matter how many cute babies holding candles they had.

"So much for going door-to-door," Mary Margaret said with a sigh.

"I don't get it," Leroy said after their twentieth slammed door, "No body wants to help the nuns?"

"I don't think it's the nuns, Leroy, it's us."

"So this whole town hates us and that's why they won't buy candles? That's bull—."

Mary Margaret gasped, covering one of Rose's ears with her hand and hissing, "No cursing! No cursing!"

Leroy rolled his eyes and amended his vocabulary. "That's bologna."

Rose let out a squeal while Mary Margaret groaned. "Oh no," she said.

"Bawoney song!" Rose happily shouted, "Bawoney song!"

Leroy stared at her like she was green with antennae coming out of her ears. "What the hell is she talking about?"

"I said no cursing," Mary Margaret chastised, not that it did any good now.

"Bawoney song!" Rose requested again.

"She likes that Oscar Meyer commercial," she explained, "the one with the little kids singing. It's her favorite song."

"That's not a song, that's a stupid commercial."

"Do you want to explain the difference to her?"

Rose's little chin quivered as she looked up at Mary Margaret. "Bawoney song?" she asked, her voice getting small and wet.

Mary Margaret let out a sigh and nodded. "All right, we'll sing the song."

"I'm not singing no stupid song," Leroy said.

"Leroy, come on, she wants us to sing."

"You do it, I hate bologna."

A tear slipped down Rose's face and she let out in a cry. "Bawoney song!"

Leroy rolled his eyes up the sky. "Aw crap," he muttered. He'd accepted his doom.

"It's okay, Rose, we'll sing it," Mary Margaret promised and then smiled down at her. "My bologna as a first name/ It's…" She waited for Leroy to pick up the next verse, "It's…" Still nothing. She finally wacked his shoulder, "It's…!" she hissed.

He glared at her but grumbled out, "It's O-S-C-A-R."

Rose clapped her hands and beamed at them.

"My bologna has a second name," Mary Margaret sang.

Leroy looked at her like he was torturing him, but added the next verse, "It's M-A-Y-E-R."

"Oh I love to eat it every day/And if you as me why I'll say."

Mary Margaret looked over at Leroy to finish the song, but he just shook his head. "No way, sister."

She gave him a venomous look, but finished the song for Rose. "Because Oscar Mayer has a way/With B-O-L-O-G-N-A."

Rose clapped and laughed, all sadness gone from her face like it had never appeared. "Again! Again! More bawoney!"

Leroy shook his head at her. "That is one weird kid."

* * *

Mr. Gold had very little desire to talk to the dwarf turned janitor but he was never one to turn down a deal of any design. Leroy had said he had something to sell and he was the man who was willing to buy. So he made his way down to the only set of docks Storybrooke had.

Leroy was already there, obviously trying to make his unfinished boat even more presentable. And he was whistling. But it wasn't his normal mining song but something else.

Was it a commercial jingle?

"What _are_ you doing?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Leroy saw him and then shook his head. "Stupid kid, I…I was working with Mary Margaret and that French kid, the one with the flower name…Daisy? Lily?"

"Rose," he interrupted, now he was really intrigued. This man had spent time with Belle's daughter. "What were you doing with her?"

"Selling candles for the festival thing."

"And she sang a song?"

"Actually we sang a song…sort of," Leroy looked a little embarrassed now, "It's that commercial…the bologna song. Apparently the kid likes it."

Mr. Gold couldn't help but stare at the man as he considered this. Leroy had spent time with Rose, knew her favorite song apparently. He hated that, hated that this pathetic little man was able to go around town with Belle's child and he had to stay away from her.

Leroy didn't notice what he was thinking though. "The kid's weird."

"She's a child," Mr. Gold said quickly, "and has a pure mind. Perhaps you might learn something from her," he replied icily.

Leroy looked more than a little confused by that statement, obviously no knowing what he had done to upset him. He didn't know how hard it was, wanting something that he couldn't have.

"Now," Mr. Gold said, "What business do you have for me?"

The man quickly turned his attention back to the boat, immediately putting on a shoddy impersonation of a salesman. Going over the man features of the vessel as if it were more than just a bit of wood that was lucky enough to be able to stay afloat.

"But you can't tell me that five thousand isn't a reasonable price for this beauty."

Any man who set the limits for the sale was desperate for something; besides, this boat wasn't worth that much many. "Three thousand I think," he scoffed, knowing that price was generous.

Now Leroy looked at him hard. "I need five."

Of course he did but for what? "You need five? To what do we owe this specificity?"

"I'm trying to help out a friend."

Leroy had friends? "Oh I see."

"You don't even have to pay me anything, just forgive one months rent for the nuns."

Now that caught his attention..

"The nuns?"

"You can have the boat, they'll pay you back eventually. It's a good deal you'll get everything."

Leroy was concerned about the nuns? If he wanted him to forgive a months rent that must mean they were hard up for it

That was a pleasant thought. He'd been looking for a way to get rid of those fairies ever since the blue one had meddled in his lie all those years ago. He could hardly wait to turn them out. "So that's what this is about."

"Come on," Leroy practically begged, making him look even weaker. "You're a rich guy, you can afford to give them time to make up one months right?"

"You're right I could."

"So great!"

"But I won't," Mr. Gold actually relished these words, "I have a fairly specific rental agreement, if they miss a payment I'm within my rights to evict." Yes, that curse was useful at the moment.

"Oh come on—."

"And quite honestly," he couldn't help but add, "it's going to be a great relief to be rid of such distasteful tenants."

"You don't like nuns?" he asked as if saying he hated blue skies. "Who doesn't like nuns?

Perhaps he had been a bit too honest; he did not want to tip his hand. "Oh I have my reasons," he replied remembering his son's hand slipping through his fingers, all because of that meddling fairy. "And they are mine. Let's just say I have a long, complicated history with them.," he said turning to leave, "And leave it at that."

Well now he was in a slightly better mood. He hated that a drunken dwarf got to spend time with what might be his child but at least he was finally going to be able to indulge in some long needed revenge.

Not too bad at all.

* * *

Mary Margaret knew it looked bad that she was sitting in the diner ordering a drink with Rose perched on her lap, coloring a napkin with a crayon. She was already the town whore, it hardly mattered if they thought worse of her anymore. Ruby, bless her heart, didn't say a word. She just poured the scotch and handed it to her.

The bell rang as she took a healthy swallow, but she didn't look up. She'd had enough snubs for the day. It turned out to be Leroy who announced, "I'll have what's she's having."

"Well?" she asked hopefully, "Did you get it?

He took off his hat and tossed it on the counter. "What do you think?" That was answer enough.

Mary Margaret turned back to her drink. "I think you're right," she said, "I was dreaming if I thought the town harlot and the town drunk could accomplish anything."

Ruby brought Leroy's drink. He picked it up and held it to his lips. "Yeah," he said morosely, "Just dreaming." He took a long swallow and nodded to Rose. "We're no better than that kid."

Rose was off in her own dream world all right, drawing whirls and scribbles with a purple crayon. For a moment, Mary Margaret envied the child. She was too young to understand pain beyond physical hurts, she was always happy and never seemed in want of anything, even without parents.

But being jealous of a toddler was pointless. She was a grown woman who had to account for her mistakes, that was the way the world worked.

"Leroy," Mary Margaret said after Ruby had given each of them a second drink, "You understand that a relationship between you and Sister Astrid can never happen." It was a sad truth, but it had to be said.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled out, "My whole life people have made it their business to tell me what to do." He let out small breath, like he was still wistfully dreaming of his true desires. "She was the first person who told me I could do anything…who believed in me." Leroy looked down into his empty glass. "I didn't want to disappoint her."

"But there are consequences to following through when the world tells you not to," Mary Margaret reminded him, "Look at me. I'm a pariah in this town."

"What about your good memories?"

Rose suddenly called out "Mawry! Mawry, look!"

"Yes, it's very pretty," Mary Margaret said, but she turned her attention to Leroy, "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you have moments with him that you love?" Leroy asked, "Do you regret them?"

Mary Margaret smiled at that. She did remember many good times: the surprise picnic by the toll bridge, when David had helped her watch Rose one evening, their first kiss, the first time they'd made love. All of them were beautiful memories she couldn't make herself regret. "No, of course not."

"Isn't that what life's about?" he said, "Holding on to your good memories?" Leroy shook his head gently. "All I wanted was a moment with Astrid. One moment to give me hope that any dream is possible."

He met her eye with a long and serious gaze. "You've had all of that, Mary Margaret, so stop feeling sorry for yourself and enjoy it." He turned away, holding his glass up to his lips again, "Because I haven't."

For a moment, Mary Margaret felt sorry for Leroy. He was right, she did have some wonderful memories with David. There was that saying, it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. She wasn't sure if she actually wished she had never loved David, but she did wish things hadn't turned out like they did. Maybe he was right, but it still hurt. It hurt a great deal.

"Well if I had the dream, I'm sorry to say it wasn't worth it."

Leroy wasn't looking at his glass anymore. He was staring intently at the bottles of liquor behind the counter, but he didn't seem interested in asking for one. In fact, he didn't seem to see anything at all. "Then sitting here drinking won't end this pain," he said.

Mary Margaret took another sip from her glass. "What will?"

"I can only think of one thing." Leroy downed the rest of his glass and slammed it onto the counter. "I've got to go." He pulled a wad of bills from his pocket without counting it and tossed it next to his empty glass.

"Leroy?" Mary Margaret asked. He had a wild look in his eyes that left her afraid of what he might be thinking. "Leroy, where are you going?"

"You'll find out, sister," he called over his shoulder as he left the diner.

"Oh no," she groaned. She had to go after him, but as she swiveled in her stool, she became aware of the weight in her lap. Rose.

Mary Margaret looked around the diner, her green eyes settling on Ruby. "Ruby, can you watch Rose for a little while?"

The waitress blinked at her in surprise. "You want me to watch the kid?"

"Not for long," she promised, "I have to go after Leroy."

She didn't give time for Ruby to say no. She thrust Rose into her arms, piling her small coat and mittens on the counter. Mary Margaret grabbed her jacket, scarf and hat and rushed out of the diner.

"Wait!" Ruby called after her, "What am I supposed to…" the bell dinged to signal she was gone. "…do."

Rose hummed at the odd situation and then swiveled her head to look at Ruby. "Red!"

"Yeah, I'm wearing red," Ruby said with a sigh, "Now what?"

Rose could offer no helpful suggestions then to pull at the red streaks in her hair. "Red," she said again.

One thing was for sure, she couldn't wait on the few remaining customers with Rose. She was glad to see Granny step in from the stock room, her nose buried in some papers. "Granny, I've got a problem."

"Besides your hair."

Ruby rolled her eyes at that common bit of criticism, but held her tongue…for once. "Mary Margaret just left and she sort of forced me to watch Rose."

Granny looked up and locked eyes with little Rose who was still enjoying the look of the red streaked hair between her fingers. "She left you with the child."

"Yeah," Ruby said, "She ran after Leroy, they seemed to be in a hurry."

"Done with sleeping with another woman's husband, so now she's moved on to the town drunk," Granny said, loud enough so only Ruby heard.

Ruby snorted at the thought. "I don't think so. Anyways, can you let me go early? I can't exactly work with Rose here."

"Sure, go on. We'll close up in twenty minutes anyways."

"Thanks," Ruby said with genuine relief. "Come on, Rose. I'll get changed and then we'll go to the Miner's Day Festival. Does that sound like fun?"

"Fun!" Rose shouted though Ruby doubted she really understood what she said.

Ruby put on a pair of skinny jeans and a jacket and then wrestled Rose into her pink coat. She didn't know how Emma and Mary Margaret managed the kid so well. Putting one coat on her was like trying to saddle a wild horse. Once she was bundled up for the cold Maine weather, Ruby scooped her up and took her across the street to the town square.

The center of the town was filled with makeshift booths, papier-mâché stars, banners and confetti. People crowded the area to play games, buy unhealthy treats, and chat about local town gossip. "So this is the Miner's Day Festival," Ruby said to Rose.

"Pwetty," Rose said, reaching up to try and grasp one sparkling star. Her tiny limb was about four feet from the object of her desire.

"Yeah, pretty dull," Ruby said in reply, "Once you've seen one Miner's Day you've seen them all. It's the same thing year after year because nothing changes in boring old Storybrooke."

Ruby shrugged one shoulder and looked down into Rose's captivated expression. "Not that you care. You don't understand a word I say."

"Star!" Rose cried, pointing to the star yet again. Ruby smirked a little. She was an adorable little rug-rat, and it wasn't really her fault that her plans to go to the local bar and chat up some guys had gone up in smoke.

"Come on, kid, I'll show you around," she said, forcing herself to act like this Miner's Day would be different.

Rose certainly found the whole thing fascinated. She pointed and babbled about various things, mostly the stuff with glitter. "Big man!" she shouted when she saw John, the produce guy, up on stilts.

Unfortunately, her little shout forced John to turn his head and lose his focus. Ruby saw one stilted leg leave the ground as he waved his arms to try and regain balance. He let out a shout before he tumbled down to the ground.

"Uh oh!" Rose announced the obvious. "Big man fall!"

"Yeah, big man fall," Ruby said. Her mouth was pinched in a desperate attempt to keep back her laughter. But once John poked his head up to show he was okay, she couldn't help but let it out. "Thanks, kid," she said, bouncing Rose a bit, "You just made my night."

While some helpful townspeople assisted John, Ruby continued to show Rose the sights. She was especially fascinated by the tent that had strands of colored glass plates all around it, creating a sort of big kaleidoscope effect with the help of some lights. Rose oohed and aahed over that room and demanded "Again!" three times, forcing Ruby to return.

After their fourth trip, Rose cried out, "Doggie!". Ruby followed her little finger and saw that Archie was walking Pongo through the fair.

"Hey Archie," she said once he was close enough to hear her.

Archie smiled back at her. "Hello Ruby, I didn't expect to find you here."

"Me neither, but apparently I'm babysitting."

Rose reached out for Pongo again. "Doggie."

Archie gave her a broad smile and crouched down so he was at her eye level. "Hey there, sweetheart. Are you having a good time?"

"Doggie," she said in reply.

"Sure, you can pet Pongo if you like." Archie looked down at the Dalmatian. "Sit Pongo." The dog instantly obeyed.

Ruby set Rose down and the girl showed no shyness when she immediately toddled over to the dog and patted his black and white coat. Pongo showed his appreciation by bathing her face with his velvety tongue. Rose squealed in delight, giggling as a few swipes invaded her mouth. "Glad to see someone's getting kissed tonight," Ruby said.

"You planning on staying at the fair long?" Archie asked her.

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'll give her to Granny once I get tired of her." Still, having Rose with her was making the festival a little more fun.

"I'll see you later, Ruby," Archie said.

"Okay." She bent down next to Rose and waved at Archie and Pongo as they walked away. "Bye Archie, bye Pongo."

"Bye bye!" Rose said back and waved one arm in a wild motion. Archie grinned and waved back as he strode away.

Ruby scooped Rose back up and they continued to wander the fair. More than once someone stopped to coo over Rose and try and get her to say a few words. It really was amazing how much attention the little toddler could get just by smiling. Ruby saw why Emma and Mary Margaret were so fond of her now. Even she wondered why her mother had abandoned her and her father was MIA. She was such a cute little thing, bright and cheerful. It was impossible to feel bad when around her.

Ruby found that after a few chats with some people and more than one laugh from Rose, she wasn't feeling so upset about her plans being ruined. She was actually enjoying herself. That was when she saw David Nolan walking through the crowd, avoiding the obvious looks from everyone by keeping his head bowed. Not that it really mattered since Mary Margaret got the worst of the ridicule. Ruby had thought he might have been a bit proud of what he'd done since men were so often pigs, but the look on his face said that wasn't the case. He had a load of guilt on his shoulders, enough to where she felt sorry for him.

"Hey David," she said once she and Rose came abreast of him.

"Hi Ruby," he said, forcing a smile, "Hi Rose."

"Hi!" Rose said back, making his smile grow a bit.

"Mary Margaret was busy so I'm taking care of Rose," Ruby said before he could ask.

"That's nice of you," he said. His eyes darted around the place before he settled back on Ruby. "How is she?"

"Okay, I guess," Ruby said. She bit her lip before adding, "She's hurt, but she's trying."

"Good," he said, "I want to apologize again, but it's just…"

"I know," Ruby said. This subject was just too heavy and she didn't feel very comfortable talking about Mary Margaret, at least in terms of her affair with David. It was all bit too weird to wrap her head around.

Rose proved her worth again by shouting out, "Bear!"

Ruby looked to see that she was pointing to a booth covered with little white bears wearing red bowties. The bears were obviously meant to be prizes in the milk bottle game.

"I see them," Ruby said, but looked back at David. "So what brings you here?"

"I wanted to see what all the fuss was about," he said and looked around the square strung up with lights and decorations, "I thought maybe going to a party would make myself feel better."

"Is it working?" He sighed and shook his head.

"Bear!" Rose called out again, stretching as far as she could to that booth.

"Yes, I see the bears," Ruby said, but Rose continued to struggle.

"Bear!" she cried out, almost in a whimper.

Ruby smiled and let out an amused chuckle. "All right, I'll get you the bear."

Jamal was running the milk bottle booth, a fact Ruby found very ironic. He wasn't the nicest of men, too uptight most of the time, but she still flashed him her best smile in hopes of softening him. "Hey, Jamal, how much for one of the bears?"

"It's two dollars to play."

"I don't really want to play, can I just give you two dollars for the bear?"

"Rules are rules, Ruby," Jamal said, "You've got to play to win the bear."

Ruby rolled her eyes, done with trying to flirt her way out of this. "Here, hold her," she said to David and handed Rose over to him.

"Bear," Rose said.

"I know I'm going to get it," Ruby said while she dug into her pocket for two crumpled bills. "Here."

Jimmy handed her three balls and pointed to the pyramid of three milk jugs. "Knock them all off in three tries."

"I have lived here since the dawn of time, remember?" Ruby said and then hurled the ball. It dropped just in front of the stand. She picked up a second ball and tried again. This time it went wide, missing the whole thing by a foot.

"Last chance," Jimmy warned her.

Ruby glared at him, reeling her arm back for her final throw. This time she tried to take careful aim before she let the ball loose. Her efforts worked…to a degree. This time the ball whizzed past the top of the pyramid by millimeters. The jugs wobbled for a few seconds and then remained fixed in their rigid posture.

Ruby sighed in defeat and shook her head. "Okay, I played. Now will you give me the bear?"

"Sorry, the bears are prizes for winners."

"Come on."

"Try asking a genie for one, I'm not required to help losers."

"Shut up, you're just mad because I wouldn't get a drink with you last month." Sure it was a cheap shot, but the guy was being a jerk.

"Bear," Rose said, now on the verge of tears, as she stretched out for the prizes, "Bear."

Ruby gestured towards her young charge. "Come on, Jamal. She just wants the bear. You know you'll have hundreds left over, just give her one."

Jamal shook his head, his black mustache bobbing at the ends. "Either play again or step aside."

Ruby was seriously considering taking one of those stupid balls and throwing it at him, when David stepped up. "Here," he offered her Rose back, "Let me try."

Ruby moved aside to let David take her place. He produced his own two dollars and accepted the three balls. His first attempt knocked one of the jugs a bit, moving it an inch, but not enough to topple the set. His second try took down the tallest jug. Ruby watched him concentrate harder as he took the last ball, studying the jugs like they were enemy soldiers. Then he threw the ball.

It connected with the two remaining glass jugs, striking right into the seam where they met. They clanked together and then flew apart, rattling on the ground out of sight.

"You did it!" Ruby shouted in joy, jumping a bit and making Rose giggle.

David smiled, his first genuine smile of the night and pointed to the white bears. "A bear, please."

Jamal handed him the cheap toy without a word. David gave Rose a little bow. "You're bear, my lady."

Rose squealed and latched onto the bear, hugging it tightly to her chest. "Say thank you, Rose," Ruby said with a grin.

"Tank you," Rose said, making Ruby gasp in delight.

"Oh my God! I got her to say 'thank you'," Ruby said, "This babysitting thing is actually kind of fun."

David laughed a little and nodded. "Well I'm always glad to help a lady in need. You two have fun."

"See you later, David," Ruby said as he walked away. Rose was too distracted by her new toy to say bye again. "You want to go show Granny your bear?" Ruby asked.

Rose showed no indication that she understood what Ruby said, but it didn't matter anyways. Seconds later there was burst of light from the roof across the way, followed by the sizzling sound of electricity being set loose. Then the entire square was swallowed up by blackness.

"Dark!" Rose said, thankfully she sounded intrigued by it and not scared of what was going on.

"Yeah, I can see that," Ruby said, "Or actually I can't see." It was so black that she couldn't see who was around her, but she could hear the murmur of voices. After a few quick blinks her eyes adjusted enough to make out shapes, but it was still a struggle. "Well, this just got tricky."

After a couple of minutes of wandering around aimlessly in the dark, Ruby began to see people lighting the nun's candles. Apparently the lack of power didn't mean the fair was over, just that they were moving to an alternate source of light. Soon every booth had candles and the games were starting all over again.

"Faiwies!" Rose cried, her arm pointing towards a group of nuns holding lit candles to help customers to the candle booth.

"No, it's candles," Ruby corrected.

"Pwetty."

"Yeah, it's very pretty."

The line for the candles was now half the length of the square and still growing. Ruby saw Sister Astrid was manning the booth alone and floundering under the demand. But from across the street, Mary Margaret and Leroy were running with delirious smiles on their faces.

"Mary Margaret!" Ruby called out. The teacher heard her, stopped in her tracks and then said something to Leroy before hurrying over to her.

"Hey, Ruby," she said, "Look I'm sorry that I just left like that, but I had to and—."

"Don't worry about it," Ruby said, finding she genuinely meant it, "Do you want Rose back now?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I need to sell candles and I can't watch her in this crowd." Mary Margaret pleaded her with her eyes. "Can you please watch her for a little while longer? I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Sure, it's no problem at all," Ruby said.

"Thank you," she breathed out in a sigh, "Thank you, now I have to go!"

"Mawry run," Rose said, watching her temporary guardian with a quizzical look.

"Sorry, kiddo, but she's busy. How about we just hang for a while longer?" Ruby asked. Rose's response was to push her bear up into Ruby's face, making Ruby laugh.

The square really was beautiful under the candlelight. Somehow it made the entire place look magical and it brought everyone together. Before everyone had played the games, bought the food and mostly stayed by themselves. Now Ruby could see them passing out candles and treats, playing ball in the grass and talking about town gossip. Rose didn't mind since she was still clearly a hit with everyone.

Ruby saw her grandmother was in line for the candles and she waved her over once she saw them both. "You two all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Ruby said, "Rose is loving all of this. She keeps thinking the candles are fairies."

Granny smiled and tapped Rose on her nose, making her giggle. "Can you handle her or do you need me to take her?"

"We're doing just fine," Ruby said with a roll of her eyes. Of course Granny would have no faith in her at all.

"Well find me if you need me then."

"Got it," Ruby muttered and then smiled down at Rose. "Come on, let's go have some fun."

It was when they passed one of the food stands that Rose shouted out, "Food!"

"You hungry?" Ruby asked her.

"Food, Red, food."

"Okay, let's get something to eat then." Ruby got them a funnel cake and a cotton candy to share. They sat on an empty bench to enjoy their carnival treats. The funnel cake went first with Rose eventually grabbing handfuls of powdered sugar and smearing it on her face. Her lap was completely covered with sugar, but she was clearly enjoying herself. She loved the cotton candy even more because she could play with hunks of it, squishing it into lumpy shapes before stuffing it into her mouth.

Ruby was quite content in feeding Rose the treats, but the familiar tapping sound of a cane put an immediate damper on her mood. It was indeed Mr. Gold who was headed towards the town square, as impeccably dressed as ever. Ruby stiffened at the sight of him, but Rose was completely oblivious in her world of blue spun sugar.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Gold?" she asked once he'd reached them. Their rent wasn't due for another week and she certainly had nothing he wanted.

"Well I'm in the dark as much as everyone else," he said, "I'm here for candles."

"Help yourself," she said and pointed to the long line she was certain he wouldn't deign to wait in.

Mr. Gold didn't leave like she thought he would. He stood there and stared at Rose while she grabbed another hunk of cotton candy. Her lips were stained blue and her cheeks were streaked with powdered sugar. She looked like she'd just gotten back from a trip to Willy Wonka's factory, but at least she was enjoying herself.

"You shouldn't be giving her so much candy," Gold said, "She's likely to make herself sick."

Ruby frowned at him just a bit. "Why do you care, she's not your kid."

Gold stiffened at her words. He didn't move for a few seconds, just staring at her with some unreadable look on his face. What the hell was wrong with him?

Finally, he gave her the barest of nods. "No, indeed not."

He walked off without a word of parting. Rose stopped feasting on her cotton candy, her brown eyes large as they followed his retreating form. "Gol!" she shouted.

"Yep, that's Mr. Gold," Ruby said, "Word of advice, kid, stay out of his way."

Ruby was right before, Mr. Gold had no intention of waiting in line for candles. Even if he had, once the crowd saw him they immediately gave him a free path all the way to the booth. The grumpy dwarf glowered at him and then promptly made himself busy stacking empty boxes. It was Mary Margaret who smiled at him and asked how many candles he would be needing.

"I saw that Ruby is watching over that French child," he said as he handed her some crisply folded bills. He hated to help the fairies, but with his bad knee he desperately needed the light.

"Yes, well Emma and I are busy so she agreed to watch her for me."

"And are you aware that she is stuffing her to the brim with candy?" She blinked back at him at his startling harsh tone. She opened her mouth to say something, but Gold didn't give her the chance. "Now it makes no difference to me, but she is likely to get sick from all of that, certainly she'll be rather energized as it is. That is your problem, I'm afraid."

He took the bag of candles and left her there to sort out the issue herself. He knew she would see to the matter which is why he had told her. Perhaps he was a bit rude, not that he felt apologetic for that, but he wasn't really angry with Mary Margaret. Ruby hadn't known just how deep a wound she'd inflicted upon him. She didn't know that Rose could be entirely his responsibility. More than that, he was jealous of the fact that she and everyone else in this town could dote upon her but he had to stay away. Regina watched him, he knew that. The only blessing he had at the moment was that she was distracted with her own plans to ruin Snow White once and for all. It wasn't much, but at least he could watch her in peace.

He saw Mary Margaret leave the candle booth and walk over to Ruby. He couldn't hear the exchange, but he was sure it was mildly handled by the teacher.

"I don't want to seem ungrateful," Mary Margaret said to Ruby, "but I think Rose has had enough sweets. Anymore and I think she might get sick."

"She loves it," Ruby said.

"Yes, but too much could upset her stomach."

"All right." Ruby took the half-eaten cloud of spun sugar and threw it into the nearby garbage bin. "No more treats."

"Thank you, Ruby. I promise I'll be done soon and I'll take her off of your hands."

"No rush," Ruby said. Mary Margaret flashed her a smile and gave Rose a wave before dashing back to the crowded booth.

"Okay, Rose, what do you want to do now?"

Rose answered the question on her own by sliding off of the bench. "Bawoon!" she cried, chasing after a white balloon that was slightly deflated. It hung just over the grass like a dejected little ghost, the wind scurrying it away from Rose just as she was about to grab it.

"Rose!" Ruby called out after her, "Slow down!"

The child didn't heed her advice, but continued to run after the escaping balloon. She didn't know that the balloon was headed straight for the street where people were driving around looking for a place to park so they could also get candles.

"Rose, stop!" Ruby shouted in panic.

Rose almost had the balloon when reached the curb. Her little foot slipped on the curved edge and she pitched forward onto the concrete. She did manage to hold out her hands to break her fall, but it only worked to save her from smacking her head on the ground. Rose instantly began to holler in pain.

Ruby saw that one problem had passed since Rose was no longer headed for the middle of the busy street, but now another one had taken it's place. "Oh no," she said, "Oh no, oh no, oh no."

Ruby scooped up Rose and saw that one knee of her purple overalls had torn and that the skin was cut, staining the ruined cloth red. Rose's palms were also scraped, but were only raw and not bleeding.

"Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry." Her apology did nothing to soothe her and she continued to cry.

Rose blubbered into Ruby's neck while she carried her over to Granny who was talking with Mother Superior. "Granny, she fell," Ruby called out once Rose's cries had caught her attention.

"Oh dear," Granny said, "Let's take her to the diner, we can fix her up there."

Rose sobbed the entire walk to the dinner. Ruby was actually impressed since she hardly seemed to take a breath, but that only increased her guilt. "I'm sorry, Rose," she kept saying over and over.

"It's all right, girl, kids hurt themselves all the time," Granny said. That was the good thing about Granny, sure she criticized her for the little things but when Ruby was feeling bad about herself she was always there with reassurances.

Granny found the first aid kit they always kept in the kitchen and brought it into the dining area. Rose sat on the counter sobbing and hiccupping all at once. Ruby stroked her hair and whispered nonsense, but nothing seemed to work.

"I know it hurts, little lamb," Granny said in a bright voice, "but it will be all better in a minute."

Granny took out some antiseptic and cleaned the scrape on her knee which rejuvenated Rose's cries into an even higher pitch for a few moments. Then she applied some topical antibiotic ointment before covering it all with a band-aid.

"There we are, right as rain," Granny said.

But Rose didn't stop crying.

"Rose, sweetie, it's okay, you're all better now," Granny said, pulling the girl up to her bosom and rubbing her back.

"Bear," she said with a hiccup, "want bear."

"Oh no, her bear," Ruby said, "I left it in the square. I'll go get it."

She whirled around on her heal, prepared to scour the fair for the white teddy bear, even steal one from Jimmy if she had to, but Ruby never took another step. Mr. Gold was standing in their diner.

They had been so distracted with Rose's scraped knee and soothing her cries that they hadn't even heard the little bell ring. Ruby opened her mouth to ask him what he wanted, but he made his purpose clear immediately when he held out the small white bear. "I saw she left this on the bench."

Ruby blinked at him, too stunned to do anything for a moment so he shoved the bear into her hands. He actually looked…concerned. Mr. Gold actually seemed to care for another human being. Good God, it was a miracle.

"Thanks," she said and then turned around to Rose. "Look, Rose, Mr. Gold brought you your bear."

Rose quickly took the toy and hugged it to her chest. Her face was red and streaked with her tears, but she'd stopped crying. Granny held her close while she hiccupped into her shoulder, but her brown eyes remained locked on his. "That was kind of you, Mr. Gold."

That shook Gold out of his stupor. He stopped staring at Rose and met Granny's gaze with a cold look, the one they were all used to. "Well perhaps if your granddaughter had watched her properly, I wouldn't have had to go out of my way to return that to her," Gold said, "and the child wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"It was an accident," Granny insisted.

"One that could have been prevented."

"She's fine now, Gold, and your charity has been noted as has your criticism."

"Careful, dear," he warned her, "Or I might find your rent in need of a raise."

Ruby appreciated her Granny's defense on her, but enough was enough. She didn't know what Gold's problem was or why he was so upset that Rose had been hurt, but she couldn't let him take it out on Granny. "You're right, Mr. Gold," she said, "I should have been watching her better and I'll be sure to apologize to Emma and Mary Margaret."

She saw him swallow hard, like he was keeping something else locked deep inside. His eyes found Rose again and he nodded. "Yes, see that you do."

Ruby stared at him as he turned around and walked away. She still remained silent even after he left the diner. She and Granny both watched him until he had turned the corner and was out of sight.

"What was all of that about?" Granny said. So she had seen it too.

Ruby just shook her head. "I honestly have no idea."

* * *

Mary Margaret finished the "sold out" sign with one last satisfied scribble. Sure, what she and Leroy had done had not exactly been legal, but sometimes one had to blur the line to do the right thing. Besides, no one had been hurt and the nun's convent had been saved. She considered that a job well done.

It was small, but a part of her felt a little better. Just a little.

She set the sign up and glanced around for Ruby, but she was no where to be found. She and Rose were by the bench but now they were gone. Her first thought was that they went to explore the fair some more, but Ruby's red hat and streaks would be hard to miss in the crowd. The diner then.

She walked through the town square, smiling a bit at all of the candles lit. It really did make the whole place look magical. Like fireflies or fairies. The diner was dark except for some of the nun's candles that burned inside. Sure enough, one peek showed her Ruby, Granny and Rose, but that same peek also showed her Rose was not her normal perky self.

The bell rung when she walked inside, catching their attention. Rose's face was red and wet from tears. She had obviously been crying very hard, but now she had quieted into watery hiccups and occasional little sobs.

"What happened?" Mary Margaret asked as she hurried to Granny's side.

"Mawry," Rose blubbered out and held out both arms. One of her hands held fast to a little white bear.

"Shh, shh, sweetheart, its okay," she said as she took Rose from Granny. "Is she okay? What happened?"

"I'm so sorry, Mary Margaret," Ruby said, sounding almost close to tears herself, "She saw this balloon and started running. I tried to stop her, I swear. She was heading straight for the street when she fell and hurt herself."

"It's just a scrape," Granny said before Mary Margaret could begin panic, "We cleaned her up and found her bear, but she's still a bit upset."

Mary Margaret nodded, "Thank you, Granny."

"It's no trouble, dear."

That didn't help Ruby's guilt at all because she mumbled, "I'm the worst person in the world. One day with me and she nearly gets run over and I let her get hurt."

"Hey," Mary Margaret said softly, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder, "It's okay. We all make mistakes. And she'll be all right."

"But she won't stop crying."

That was true. Rose wasn't outright sobbing, but her tears were still steady. Children hurt themselves all of the time, but it still broke Mary Margaret's heart to see her so upset. Just earlier she had been laughing and clapping when she and Leroy had sang to her.

Now Mary Margaret smiled. "I know how to make her feel better."

She bounced Rose a few times and then sang softly, "My bologna has a first name/ It's O-S-C-A-R."

Rose blinked back at them, looking interested again. Granny caught the hint and added, "My bologna has a second name/ It's M-A-Y-E-R."

Ruby joined in for the last verses, all three of them singing, "Because Oscar Mayer has a way/With B-O-L-O-G-N-A."

Rose smiled, letting out a small giggle. Mary Margaret looked up at them and said, "Let's do it again."

They sang it two more times and by the end Rose was laughing and clapping, her scraped knee completely forgotten. "There we are," Mary Margaret said, "All better now."

"You're really good with her," Granny said. For the first time in a week, she actually looked at Mary Margaret with approval.

"Thanks," Mary Margaret said and then looked back at Ruby, "Seriously, don't be so hard on yourself. You did a good job, and it was a big help to me. I wouldn't have been able to help the nuns without you watching her for me."

Ruby gave her a small smile and shrugged. "Your welcome."

"I better get her home, it's past her bedtime," Mary Margaret said.

"You have a good night, dear," Granny said.

Mary Margaret smiled at her. "You too." She looked down at Rose and said, "Say bye bye."

"Bye bye," Rose said. As they were walking away Rose called out, "Bye bye Red."

Red smiled back at her and waved, "Bye Rose."

Mary Margaret held Rose close as she walked out of the diner. The toddler showed her weariness by laying her head on her shoulder and hugging her bear to her tiny chest. From their vantage point, they had a perfect view of Emma leading David to her squad car and holding open the door…to the back seat.

"Bad," Rose said.

Mary Margaret met David's eyes, yards and a sheet of glass apart, but she could see he was worried too. "Yeah, Rose," Mary Margaret said, "It's bad."

* * *

A/N: Ten points to whoever can guess which character Jamal is, LOL. Please review, we love to hear what you have to say and they always make us write faster.

Next chapter: While the heart Ruby found is being processed and the box fingerprinted, Emma decides to reinvestigate the search for Rose's father. After finding something in Alayna's old room, Emma comes to a startling conclusion that could potentially impact the entire town. The question is, is she right?


	7. Only A Rose

Disclaimer: Yep, we own Once Upon a Time. And unicorn's fart rainbows. Nope, not ours.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: This is the chapter I've been waiting for. This is the big game changer in this fic, at least for a while. That's all I'm going to say since I don't want to ruin it for you. I hope you all like it.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion:Oh yes, this chapter is awesome. Big steps happen in this chapter and the whole story changes from here on out. Enjoy.

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**reviewer:** I hope you enjoy this one, we got it up as fast as we could.

NOTE: We fiddled with time in this chapter. As we know in Red Handed, Emma found the heart and got the fingerprints all in a day or two. In reality, it would take much longer for prints to come in, especially if Emma did them herself. So we decided to lengthen the amount of time so we could add in some other stuff. That is why Mary Margaret is not arrested in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7: Only a Rose

Emma was walking home from the Sheriff's office; unable to stop thinking about this mess that David was in regarding his now missing wife Katherine. She hated this, especially when she knew that he was innocent. She didn't understand what was going on exactly but it was all a tangled web that would be impossible to untangle without someone getting hurt, she was certain of that.

She was right by the library when she heard Mary Margaret calling out. "Is he okay?" She turned to see her friend rushing to her with little Rose in her arms. "David?"

"Oh, yeah," Emma assured her, reaching over to pull Rose's hand out of her mouth. "He's a little shaken up but he's headed home, but he's fine."

"Any word from Katherine?"

Emma shook her head. "Nothing new."

Mary Margaret considered that for a minute. "Did you check with Boston again?"

Emma sighed. "She's not there, Mary Margaret."

That made the schoolteacher deflate. "So we have no idea what happened to her?" She couldn't comprehend the fact that there were no answers.

"All we know is that she found out about you two and gave you a well deserved slap and then disappeared."

Mary Margaret slowed and then stopped in her tracks. "Well deserved? Do you really believe that?"

Emma turned to her. "No," she told her honestly, it was the truth; she had no right to pass any judgments whatsoever. "I'm just preparing you for what everyone else is going to think." Mary Margaret didn't look like she completely understood while Rose simply stared at both of her guardians. "You two are going to look bad until we figure the truth out."

"Bad," Rose repeated softly.

Mary Margaret kept her eyes on Emma. "You mean David? That people are going to think that in order to… be free with me…"

Emma simply gave her a look. "Some are." She sighed. "And he's not doing himself any favors, if there is _anything_ that you can think of to pin down his whereabouts that night."

"He wasn't with me," Mary Margaret told her, "we really are through."

"Red!" Rose exclaimed, pointing her little finger towards the bus stop in front of them. "Red! Red!"

Sure enough, Ruby was standing at the bus stop with a rolling suitcase and Dr. Whale obviously trying to pretend to be chivalrous. "Red!" Rose shouted again, making both Ruby and the doctor acknowledge the new arrivals.

"Mary Margaret," Dr. Whale said, clearly a bit muddled seeing the woman he'd had a one night stand with catch him trying to romance another. "Emma…hello there."

"Hi!" Rose said, as if he really had acknowledged her. Emma had to bite back a smile at the adorable little kid.

"I was just having a talk with Ruby here…" he eyed both of the woman, "But I should…umm…"

Emma nodded. "Yeah you should."

The doctor made a quick exit after that. Rose didn't understand what Dr. Whale had been after but she waved her little hand. "Bye bye! Bye bye!"

"Was he bothering you?" Mary Margaret asked, keeping an eye on the fleeing man.

Ruby simply smiled. "The day I can't handle a lech is the day I leave town." Then she sighed heavily, "Which this is... I guess."

Emma frowned. "You're leaving?" Since when did people leave this town?

"I had a fight with Granny, quit my job."

"You quit?" Mary Margaret asked, now just as stunned. Ruby simply nodded her head. Mary Margaret tried to put on a casual face. "Where are you going?"

But apparently that wasn't such a good question to ask. "I don't know…away."

Emma wasn't all that surprised by that answer. She'd been in Ruby's shoes more than once. "Yeah well buses out of town don't really happened…and you might want a destination first."

Now Ruby looked lost, that was because Emma was right. But that just meant Mary Margaret jumped in to soothe the situation. "Hey if you need a place to figure things out, you could always come home with us."

Emma gave her a hard look, as if their place wasn't already full with the nearly two-year old they were watching. "Uh…yeah sure, why not? We are used to taking in strays…apparently."

Rose laughed. "Red!"

Ruby genuinely smiled as she followed the three of them to their home.

* * *

Because she had no place to go and nothing else to do, Ruby had asked Emma if she could go with her to the station and use the computer there to look for a job. Henry came over after school and opted to help her by finding the listings and calling out the options. Unfortunately, those were few for a girl in a small town with only waitressing skills.

When Emma came back from changing Rose in the bathroom, she found Ruby on the Non-Emergency Phone line handling it like a professional secretary. The part about Archie's dog Pongo really impressed her. She was still relatively new to town but Ruby had lived in Storybrooke all of her life. She knew the people, knew their habits. She might be of some use here.

"How's it going you two?" Emma asked as she set Rose back into her playpen.

"Great," Ruby said a little glumly, "Except I can't do anything."

"I'm sure that's not true. I just saw you on the phone, that was good."

"That." Ruby pointed to the phone with her thumb. "That was nothing."

"No," Emma said, "No it isn't." Ruby sat back in her seat, still disheartened. This was a girl with a lot of dreams who wanted to do big things. She didn't understand that sometimes something small can have a big impact.

An idea formed in Emma's mind, one that could solve Ruby's problems. "I actually have some money in the budget if you want to help out around here."

Ruby's eyes brightened and she leapt to her feet. "Yes!" she shouted, "Thank you!" then she took a step back and tried to regain her composure, but her smile was still too bright. "Yes, could answer phones and help out. Um…is there anything else that you need done? Organize files? Cleaning up? Please, I want to be useful."

"I'm swamped with the Kathryn Nolan thing," Emma admitted, "if you maybe want to get the three of us lunch, I would never say no to a grilled cheese."

"Done," Ruby said cheerfully. As she put her shoes back on she asked Henry, "You want anything?"

Emma grinned as Henry gave her his bucket list of junk food, "Two chocolate chip cookies, a half a pie and a hot dog."

If she let him eat that he'd be sick in bed later that night and Regina would be on her ass like white on rice. Still, she smiled as she shook her head at Ruby, "He ate at school. But make sure Rose's sandwich is cut into bite sized pieces."

"Got it," Ruby said. She was on her way out when Mary Margaret entered the squad room. "Hey! Lunch, Mary Margaret? I'm getting for everyone."

"Uh, no," she said in reply and then turned to Emma with a worried look on her face. "David's in the woods."

_Uh oh_.

"There's something wrong with him," Mary Margaret said, "He looked right through me, it's like…it's like he was a different person."

Emma bit her lip and glanced over at Henry. Her son shared a look of worry that matched his teacher's. "Okay," Emma said, hoping to sound confident, "Okay, I'll go out there as soon as I can and find him."

She gave her a reassuring smile and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's okay. Maybe the stress and concern is just getting to him."

"You think so?" Mary Margaret asked. Boy, she really did love this guy. It was true that Emma didn't think David had actually hurt Kathryn, but she was sure most people after an encounter like that would think otherwise. She had a lot of faith in the man.

"Yeah," Emma said, "Look, go home or go back to school and work on something. I'll call you when I find him, okay?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "Thanks, Emma."

"I'll see you later at home."

Emma knew she could have handed Rose over to Mary Margaret to take, but right now she thought her friend was a little to preoccupied to take care of the toddler. The fact that she didn't offer was proof of that. Once she left, Emma looked over at Henry and told him her game plan. "When Ruby get's back, I'll have to go out and look for David. I'll leave Rose here with Ruby, but unless you want to help her then you won't be able to stick around."

"I understand," Henry said.

"Good," Emma said. He really sounded okay with it, but she was disappointed. It never seemed like they spent enough time together and she loved it when she was around.

At that moment, Rose let out a screech which brought Emma back to her other job: caretaker to a toddler. Right now, said toddler was demanding attention. "Okay, kiddo, I heard you," Emma said but she was grinning when she scooped Rose out of her pen and set her down on a blanket she'd spread out earlier. "Uh, Henry, I've got to get some stuff together, do you mind watching her for a bit?"

"Uh…okay," he said but he didn't look confident in his decision. Still, he took his backpack and book and took a seat on the floor next to Rose. She reached out with her little hands and patted his knee. "Um, what am I supposed to do with her?"

"I don't know," Emma said, "Play with her or read her some of your book. She'd probably like that."

"Okay." He chose the latter and pulled out his large brown, leather book and started to flip through the pages. Emma only had a half and ear to what was going on, but she did look up when she heard Rose cry out, "Momma!"

"What was that?" Emma asked.

"I—I don't know," Henry said, "I was just going through the book and she saw this picture." He held up the book for Emma to see a full page picture. It was a woman wearing a plain dress sitting beside a very weird looking man…at least Emma thought he was a man. It was hard to tell with his green skin, ruffled hair and long fingernails.

Still the woman did have brown hair and a similar look to Alayna. "I guess there is kind of a resemblance," Emma said with a shrug.

Henry frowned at the pages in the book, turning one over and scanning it for a second. "Of course! That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Rose," he said, "I know which tale she's from. It's _Beauty and the Beast._"

"But there's no kids in that story," Emma pointed out.

"I know, but listen to what it says at the end," Henry said, pointing with his finger as he read, "The beast could not fathom how someone so good and kind could ever love him. He could only believe that the Queen had been using her to destroy him. Broken hearted, Belle left the palace with only a rose."

Emma blinked at him. "Well, that's not the ending I remember. It still doesn't say anything about a kid, just that she left him with a flower."

"Yeah, but maybe the rose isn't a rose, maybe it's Rose." He pointed to the toddler to prove his point.

"So you're thinking that this book is saying that the Beast kicked her out when she was pregnant?" Emma asked and then knelt down by Henry to try to get a look at the cover, "Who wrote this thing?"

"You don't believe me," Henry said with obvious disappointment.

Oh yeah, go with the flow. Keep his imagination alive. "I didn't say that," Emma said, rocking back on her heels. "Okay, so let's say you're right. Alayna is Beauty…who's the Beast?"

Henry shrugged. "I don't know."

"Any particularly hairy men in town?"

"He wouldn't look like he did back then. Archie doesn't look like a cricket here, so the Beast will look like a man."

"Okay," Emma said, nodding as if everything he said made perfect sense, "But that still doesn't tell me who he is."

"The book doesn't give any name for him, he's just the Beast."

Emma stood up and shook her head gently. "It's fine, Henry, I'll just find him the old fashioned way." She smiled and nodded to the book. "Why don't you read to her her mom's story. I bet she'd like that."

Henry grinned back at her. "Okay."

She went back to work gathering up her stuff but kept listening to Henry's voice as he told Rose the tale of a brave, beautiful woman who dared to love a man everyone called a monster. It may have just been a story, but it was still a pretty cool one. Even she had to admit that.

* * *

Emma sighed as she hung up the phone, happy that the final call had been made. She missed Ruby already and the girl had only quit yesterday. After finding that heart she wasn't all that surprised the waitress had decided to go back home, it wasn't something that she would easily forget herself.

Now she had a long wait ahead of her.

She looked up to see Henry walk in. "What are you doing here, kid?"

"I came to see you."

Emma smiled, she really liked hearing that. "Yeah? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not going to be too entertaining right now."

Rose was sitting in her pen, chewing on the antennae of her butterfly. Emma walked over to look in on her, seeing that she wasn't in any trouble. "Did you find out who the heart belonged to?" Henry asked.

"Not yet," Emma replied, "and how did you know about that."

"I'm ten," Henry told her, "I can read the paper."

"Oh yeah," She recalled the headline that was blazoned across the _Storybrooke Mirror_. She turned over the newspaper on her desk and reached for her coffee.

"Do you think it is Mrs. Nolan's?"

"Don't know yet," Emma replied. "It's being tested for DNA, but apparently that's going to take a while. Hopefully the state will get a match on the fingerprints…but that is going to take a while too."

"How long?"

She shrugged. "No one here is qualified to match fingerprints. It all depends on when the lab in Boston gets around to it, and how long it takes for them to get a match in the system. It could be a few weeks."

"What are you going to do until then?"

Emma sighed. "I don't know, kid. Guess I'll find something." Her gaze focused on Rose who was peeking at her over the top of her pen. "I suppose I could get back to work finding Rose's father."

Henry cocked his head at her. "I thought we already knew who he was. He's the beast."

She was confused at first and then remembered their conversation earlier about his book. "Oh, yeah…right." Sure, Rose's father was the beast and she was the mythical savior of them all…that and Narnia existed. "But I still need to know who he is in _this_ world."

"Then you need to look for the beast."

"I don't think he is a beast here."

She didn't want to focus on Henry's idea of who Rose's father might be, it wasn't helpful. There was no way a book of fairytales was going to hold the key to unlocking this mystery.

"No," Henry agreed, "He'll look like he did before."

She nodded, going along with his theory for now. "Yeah, so the book isn't helpful."

"Sure it is," Henry replied, "you just need to follow the clues."

"Clues?"

"That's how I found out that Archie is Jiminy Crickett and Ms. Blanchard is Snow White," he explained, "I saw the little things that hinted at who they were."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you think we'll find those with Rose's father."

"There was to be something," Henry told her, "something that we can find that'll lead us to him."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

The boy thought about it for a long time. Then his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "I know! Ruby!"

"Ruby doesn't know anything."

"But she's Little Red Riding Hood," he reminded her, "She can find anything. She found the box with the heart."

"That was by accident."

"She'll find whatever you need," Henry told her, "just ask her to help."

Emma looked at him doubtfully. "I don't know what I'm looking for."

"That doesn't matter, she'll find it."

She wished she had Henry's optimism but she wasn't as certain. Then again…Ruby had found the heart by chance and she seemed to have a good eye at noticing things. Maybe Henry was on to something, not that Ruby was a fairytale character but rather she could be helpful.

Emma had looked over Alayna's things top to bottom and found nothing. Maybe all she needed was a fresh set of eyes.

* * *

"Emma, I don't know," Ruby said with more than a little fear brewing in her eyes as she set down a plate heaped with a hamburger and fries on the counter, "The last time I went hunting with you is still pretty fresh. Maybe once I bleach my brain of that memory I'll go for it again."

"Look, I know that freaked you out and I'm sorry," Emma said. She truly was. After all, she was a novice in law enforcement herself and Ruby had no experience at all. She wouldn't be surprised if the girl opted to never set foot in the sheriff's station again.

"But this is different," Emma said, "No possible murders in sight. I just need a fresh pair of eyes."

"Why don't you ask Henry or Mary Margaret?"

"Henry's too young and will keep looking for something from his book," Emma explained, "And Mary Margaret…well with the whole thing with David being a suspect, I just don't think she's up for it."

Emma put on her best desperate face. "Please? For Rose?"

Ruby stared down at her empty tray and then her posture collapsed in defeat. "Fine," she said, "Just give me ten minutes to get off my shift."

"Thank you," Emma said with a smile, "I'll owe you one."

"Just be nice with my tips," Ruby suggested instead. She smiled brightly at Emma but her dark eyes betrayed her nerves at being back on the hunt again. Perhaps the best way to get over her fears was to just dive back in. It had always worked for Emma, why not Ruby too?

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_

Emma drove Ruby to Moe's house once she was changed out of her waitress uniform. Ruby stared out of the window of the yellow Bug, frowning at the simple one story house. "I can't believe none of us had any idea Moe had a granddaughter," she said.

"Guess Moe keeps his cards close to his chest," Emma said as she put the car in park.

"I wish I could remember Alayna, maybe then I could help you more. I still don't see how I'll do you any good here."

"Maybe you're just my lucky charm," Emma teased from over the roof of her car.

"Is that what Henry thinks I am? A leprechaun?"

"Actually you're Little Red Riding Hood," Emma said.

"Yippee," Ruby said dryly, "I'm some chick who's stupid enough to think a wolf is her grandmother."

Emma laughed and shook her head. "Actually in his book, Red is the wolf."

Ruby mulled that over a bit and nodded. "Okay, that's pretty cool, I guess."

"He thinks so."

Emma pulled out Moe's keys that he'd loaned her weeks ago when this all began. She unlocked the door and ushered Ruby inside. "Alayna and Rose's room is just down the hall," Emma said, "Whatever we're looking for is probably in there."

Ruby's eyes widened at the sight of the nursery, much like everyone's reaction when they saw it. "Wow. Rose has a generous grandfather."

"Actually Alayna did all of this."

"Seriously?" Ruby asked, "And then she just skipped town? That's weird."

"I know," Emma agreed, "But one mystery at a time."

Ruby nodded. "So where do we start?"

"You tackle the dresser, I'll go through the closet again. Shout if you find anything interesting."

"Okay," Ruby said with a doubtful sigh. She turned to the dresser and pulled open a drawer to rifle through it's contents.

Emma walked into the closet, bypassing the few clothes of Rose's that still remained because they were too small for her now. Alayna's clothes still hung in the back, waiting for her return. Emma picked through each one, rifling through their pockets for anything. Other than two safety pins and twenty-seven cents in change, she got nothing.

She pulled down the boxes of books again. Most of them were ratty paperbacks, probably bought at garage sales or handed down from other people in town. Emma could tell which ones Alayna had liked best because they had battered pages and were usually at the top of the box. That only was like twenty of them.

One box was a bit different from the others. While the rest of the books were sorted by genre, these were random. There were only five in the whole box and all of them were leather-bound. One was a vintage copy of _Pride and Prejudice_, another was a collection of Sophocles' plays. Two were two parts of Shakespeare, giving her his complete works. The last was the only foreign book in the bunch. It was French and obviously some sort of poem. The title _Èloa_ was etched in gold on the front. Emma opened the cover and saw someone had written something there in a long, flourishing scrolls of black ink.

"_O des instants d'amour ineffable délire! Le coeur répond au coeur comme l'air à la lyre._

_ For your collection. There is no one else more worthy than you."_

Emma couldn't be sure of what she'd found. The part in English was interesting, but hardly helpful. And she had no clue what the French was saying, but she guessed it wasn't a name. Still, she decided to take it with her in case it bore fruit after all.

"You find anything?" Emma called on her way out of the closet.

"Nope," Ruby said, "Just a bunch of junk." Emma didn't bother to hide her disappointment.

Ruby nodded towards the book. "What's that?"

"Just a book of Alayna's. Looks like someone gave it to her, but I don't know who. It might not be anything at all."

"Well, you still did better than me," Ruby said, holding up her empty hands.

"Sorry I dragged you down here then."

"That's okay, at least we—." Ruby stopped in her tracks. She had been walking towards Emma when she froze.

"What?" Emma asked.

Ruby stepped in the same spot again, letting the creak of the boards fill the silent room. "Do you hear that?"

"The old floor?"

Ruby shook her head. "It's hollow."

She sank to her knees and pressed down on the spot with her hand. Once again there was another creak and this time Emma could hear the slight echo to the sound. Ruby whipped the rug away to bare the naked floorboards to their sight. There was a small hole in one of the boards that looked almost like just a flaw in the wood. Ruby hooked her finger inside, pulling the board away.

Emma knelt down next to her to stare into the hole. A shoebox was nestled inside. Emma pulled it out, wiping away the dirt and dust from it's lid. "What's this?" she asked to it.

She moved to open it, but Ruby stopped her by saying, "The last time this happened probably scarred me for life. Maybe we shouldn't open this mysterious box."

"It's the only way to get answers," Emma said. Ruby squeezed her eyes shut as Emma pulled the lid away. She stared into it's depths with a frown. "Huh."

Ruby decided that was enough to prove whatever was inside wasn't terrifying to her very soul. Still, she only cracked her eyes open to check. They flew open a breath later and then matched Emma's curious gaze. "Well, I wasn't expecting that."

Emma lifted the single dried, red rose from it's box and held it up between them. "Neither was I."

* * *

Emma called Mary Margaret and asked her to meet them at Granny's. Granny was keeping Rose occupied by having her help make cookies in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Ruby got them all cups of hot chocolate, two with cinnamon while they stared at the book and the dead rose at the center of the table.

"You found that under her floor?" Mary Margaret asked, one hand reaching out to finger a dried petal.

"Yeah, not exactly where I would put a dead flower," Emma said.

"And the book?"

"No clue," she replied, "I just noticed someone had written something on the inside."

Mary Margaret took the book and opened the cover to read the note penned inside the cover. "O des instants d'amour ineffable délire! Le coeur répond au coeur comme l'air à la lyre," she quoted from the cover.

"Yeah, what does that mean?" Ruby asked.

"Something about love and heart responding to heart," Mary Margaret said, shaking her head at the words, "I'm sorry, my French is rusty. If I practice a bit I might be able to figure out what it says and what this book is exactly."

Emma nodded. "Thanks, but honestly I'm more interested in this." She picked up the rose carefully by it's stem. "Who gave her this rose?"

Ruby shrugged one shoulder. "Her father's a florist, no mystery there."

"Yeah, she probably got hundreds of roses from him," Emma said, "Why keep this one then?"

"It must not have been from him," Mary Margaret said, "Maybe it was Geoffrey. His last gift to her or maybe a flower from his funeral. She might have wanted to something to remember him by."

"If that's the case then why get rid of everything except for this rose?"

"I thought you had a picture of him," Ruby voiced over her mug of cocoa.

"Yeah, but it was stuffed in an envelope with a hundred other pictures," Emma said, "If she wanted some kind of memorial to him then every picture of him, every movie stub, every small token of him would be in that box."

"Emma, she was treasuring that rose for a reason," Mary Margaret said.

"And she was hiding it," Ruby pointed out, "It obviously meant a lot to her."

"That's the other thing. Why hide it if it was from Geoffery? Moe loved the guy, there would be no reason to keep in under the floorboards where no one would look."

Ruby tilted her head. "Good point."

Mary Margaret gave her a nod. "Okay," she said, leaning forward a bit, "If it wasn't from Geoffrey, then who? Why hide it to begin with?"

Emma frowned at the dried flower, twirling it a bit by it's stem. "She didn't want Moe to know she had it. It was a secret gift from a secret lover."

"Oooh, now this is getting interesting," Ruby said with a broad grin, "A mystery man she didn't want daddy to know about."

Mary Margaret shook her head. "You can't be certain of that."

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Emma insisted, "She never told her father about him. Moe said he had no idea she was seeing anyone after Geoffrey. She had to deliberately be hiding this all from him."

"But why?"

Ruby pursed her lips and then straightened up in her chair. She reached over to pluck the rose from Emma's fingers. "Why hide keep a man a secret from your father? Because daddy wouldn't like the guy."

Emma gave her a grave nod. "Because she knew she probably shouldn't have been seeing him to begin with."

Mary Margaret stared at the flower now with an open-mouthed look of shock. Ruby let out a cheerful giggle. "Wow, I'm really starting to like this girl. Sounds like we'd have gotten along great."

Emma gave her a small grin before taking the rose back. Mary Margaret followed the flower with her eyes. "Okay, well I guess you've gotten another clue now."

"Not much of one. It still doesn't tell me who he is."

"You could ask Moe."

"Oh that's a brilliant idea," Emma said, "Hey Moe, I found out your daughter was probably sleeping with someone she knew you didn't like and this guy is probably Rose's father. Then the doctor's can help him recover from the heart attack I've just given him."

Ruby let out a chuckle while she sipped her drink. Mary Margaret let out a sigh and stared down into her cup. "Um, okay." She pondered this while looking into the swirls of cinnamon and chocolate in her mug. "Then what about Mr. Gold? He might know something."

Emma let out a groan while Ruby eyed them both with confusion. "Why Mr. Gold?"

"Alayna worked for him," Mary Margaret said.

"She _worked_ for him?" Ruby nearly shouted, "Damn, she has my full sympathies now. I wonder how she survived."

"I don't know about Gold," Emma said with a shake of her head, "he wasn't exactly a fountain of information before."

"But he did know Alayna and she might have been willing to tell him about her secret boyfriend."

"Would you tell Mr. Gold about your secret boyfriend?" Emma questioned her friend.

Ruby let out a snort. "I wouldn't tell him about my public ones."

"Still, he might have noticed something," Mary Margaret said, "It's your best shot."

Emma shot her a glare but it lacked any heat. "I hate it when you're right." That made Mary Margaret laugh a bit, but Emma let out a small sigh. "I wonder what this will cost me."

"Your soul," Ruby guessed.

"Knowing Gold, you could be right."

* * *

Mr. Gold never liked being at his home, or rather the home the curse provided for him in this world. It had everything he could ever want or need, but it may as well have been empty because it was cold comfort to be surrounded by beautiful objects. He took another sip of the fine brandy, savoring the rich flavor on his tongue. Alcohol provided a temporary glow, but it was fleeting, in a few hours it would be gone and he would be alone once more.

It was not a new circumstance; he'd felt the pangs of loneliness many, many times over the years. It had been a part of his penance once, until he'd finally gotten too restless, too frustrated. He hadn't been able to concentrate on his work because of the pain. So he'd decided to do something about it.

_"What I want is something a bit more special…my price…is her."_

He'd simply wanted a caretaker, someone who could wait on him but also simply fill his castle with a presence. Someone he could say two words to and ease up on the quiet solitude that consumed him daily.

It had worked. From the moment he had her in his possession he had felt the pain recede. That first day he'd been jovial, even though he knew now that his actions had been almost cruel. But he hadn't cared; all he'd been grateful for was to see that his plan had been working. He had someone to take care of him but someone he didn't have to care for.

What a fool he'd been.

Mr. Gold set his glass of brandy aside and stood up from his chair. He walked over to the next room, his rather extensive library of books he had little desire to read. He found the safe, hidden away behind the shelves. A few flicks of his wrist and it was open and the contents were available to him. But there was only one thing inside.

He carefully picked up the chipped teacup, cradling it in his hands as if it were a gentle dove. Mr. Gold returned back to the sitting room where his brandy was waiting and the fire crackled almost cozily. He turned the teacup over and over in his hands, running the pad of his thumb over the chipped portion on the brim.

She'd broken it her first night there. He'd been greedily listing out her various chores while she poured the tea. He'd found it amusing that she was agreeing to everything he asked for so he'd decided to play, he'd simply been in that sort of mood.

_"And you will skin the children I hunt for their pelts."_ She'd dropped the teacup while the blood had drained from her lovely face, she looked absolutely sick. He had eased her concern and actually seen a glimpse of a smile on her lips at his little "quip". But then she'd knelt down to pick up her mess.

_"Oh…I'm uh…I'm so sorry but it's…chipped."_ She'd held up the cup for him to see_, "you can hardly see it_."

Mr. Gold couldn't help but smile at the memory of her words, it had been a rather pathetic thing to say since the chip was very noticeable indeed. But he had hardly been listening to her words, no, his eyes had been focused on hers. He saw fear there, real fear of his wrath. She was afraid that he would become angry because she'd chipped a cup. She was afraid of him.

_"Well it's just a cup_." He wanted her to know that she didn't need to be afraid; the cup meant nothing to him.

Fear was something he was used to. He knew that most of the world was afraid of him, of his power. But her fear filled eyes touched his damned soul. He didn't want her to be afraid of him.

After that he had begun to change things. He moved her to a more comfortable room and made sure he used the chipped cup whenever he could. It didn't take long for her fear to ease, but the wariness lingered a bit longer. That wariness disappeared the day he caught her when she tumbled off the ladder.

She wanted to let the light in…when all he'd ever wanted was to shroud himself in darkness. But he would do anything to see her smile. When the curtains gave way she fell with them…right into his arms.

Mr. Gold reached over and drained his drink, it wasn't the correct way to consume such fine brandy but he didn't care. He filled the glass again, eager to feel it's affects now that new memories were searing through him.

His skin had burned where she touched him. Her arm around his neck, his cradling her legs and her back. Blinking in the sunlight that hadn't truly touched him in years he'd looked down at her, secure in his embrace, and saw the light glowing about her. And for the first time in decades he'd felt something stirring inside of him.

He'd dropped her quickly but still felt the softness of her skin, her warm breath fanning his face as she thanked him. He was haunted by those feelings and now his fingers itched to touch her once more. He'd brought her to the castle because loneliness had become a distraction…but now she was more distracting than any other project he'd had.

And he hadn't cared. He didn't think about what his goal was all he had been able to think of…was her.

And the little minx had known it.

He smiled and took another sip of brandy while running his fingertips over the painted branch on the cup.

She'd started watching him too, with a soft smile gracing her lips, watching him with the same determined gaze he had fixed on her.

_"Why did you want me here?"_

_ "The place was filthy."_

She'd known it was a lie, he'd seen that on her face. _"I think you were lonely. I mean, any man would be lonely."_

That statement had made him sad. _"I'm not a man."_ He'd told her honestly. But in that moment he'd wanted to be, he'd wanted to be a man that deserved the right to touch her, to hold her soft hand in his and hear the gentle lilt of her voice. But he wasn't.

That didn't stop him from sitting close to her; he'd never been one to keep himself from his desires.

He should have stayed away, he should have kept his distance but she'd done exactly as he'd hoped. Her presence had invaded every facet of the castle and he hadn't been lonely anymore. But it was so much more than that, she was like his own personal siren and he hadn't been able to stop himself from finding her again and again. She'd made him forget he'd ever been lonely in the first place.

But that was gone now. Gone forever.

Mr. Gold took a long pull from his glass before setting the teacup aside. He was lonely once more but this time he couldn't have Belle or Bael here to stop that pain. He wanted them; he wanted them both to cleanse his soul of the sins that plagued him in the dark. But they were gone, gone because of his failings. They couldn't be with him now.

But perhaps there was one…

He smiled at a little fantasy. Of the beautiful little girl that was consuming his thoughts daily now. Belle's cherubic-faced child would fill his home with sunlight again; her laughter would make him forget the pain that was eating his soul. He imagined her sitting on the floor, perhaps with a small doll in her hands, happily playing. She would look up and smile at him, filling his heart with true joy. Her soft brown eyes shining with innocence.

Brown eyes that he might have bequeathed to her.

He didn't know. He wanted to know but he was terrified to find out. If he was wrong than he caused far more pain to her than he had thought and that would destroy him. But if he was right then he would have something precious to lose…and that was even more dangerous.

_"You are a coward, Rumplestiltskin. And now matter how thick you make your skin, that doesn't change."_

She was right. Even in a world without magic he was still a coward.

A knock on his door broke the dark spell of his brooding thoughts. Mr. Gold felt like throwing the glass in his hand at whoever was at the door. He had no desire to see anyone, not now. They knocked again, this time pounding on the door with insistence.

With an angry growl he stood up from his chair, grabbing his cane he moved as quickly as he could to the door and pulled it open. A bit of his anger receded when he found himself looking into the startled face of Emma Swan. He had actually been expecting Regina to come and twist the knife some more, not the fair-haired savior of them all.

"Ms. Swan," he said evenly, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

She knew he wasn't being truthful; he wasn't pleased at all to see her. She didn't want to see him either but it was her choice to come. "I need to talk to you about Alayna French."

He hid his disgust at hearing that name. Her name had never been Alayna, it was Belle and he could never think of her otherwise. Yes, he had memories provided by the curse of Alayna French working at his housekeeper and assistant. Those false memories had pained him before Emma's Bug had swept into town, but now they were simply lies Regina had thought would hurt him. She was right, but they were still lies.

"I thought we'd already finished that discussion."

"Well I have some more questions," she told him firmly. He was surprised by this, he thought she'd been satisfied with his answers before. What had happened that made her bring this up once more? Mr. Gold didn't want to spend the evening going along with the fantasy this curse had created but he was curious.

"By all means," he said, "come in."

He led her to the sitting room he had just occupied and she took a seat in one of the upholstered chairs. She didn't miss the chipped cup resting on the table by his seat, she didn't know the true significance of it, only that it meant enough for him to hunt down and beat Mr. French within an inch of his life.

"What is it you need from me, Ms. Swan?"

"You knew Alayna well," she began clumsily.

He gave her a doubtful look. "She was only under my employ for a few months," he reminded her.

"You know her better than anyone else in this town, besides her father," she replied simply, "I don't have a choice on who I turn to for information on her."

"Ask your questions then," he told her, "But you're destined for disappointment."

She leaned forward in her seat. "I want to know who she was in love with."

That statement surprised him. So, Emma was no longer chasing down ghosts but was instead trying to fill in the gaps of history. Well, he actually knew more than she probably assumed, not that he was going to tell her anything. "And you think I hold the answers?"

"Like I said, I don't have much choice."

"There is her father."

Emma shook her head. "I think she was hiding this from him, he can't help me here." She turned her gaze upwards, "but you saw her regularly, you might have noticed something."

"Doubtful."

"You knew it couldn't be Geoffrey, you may know more than you think," Emma insisted.

"That was a simple matter of deduction," Gold said, "not some secret in this town."

"Come on," she said, "Do you remember her being in love with anyone other than Geoffrey."

He didn't intend to say it, but he wouldn't let the curse distort any more of reality it already had with Belle. "Alayna wasn't in love with Geoffrey. That was something her father was forcing between them, nothing more."

But he quickly realized he'd made a mistake.

Emma's eyebrows quirked up in surprise at his words. "She told you that?" What could he do but nod his head? She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "I thought you said you barely knew her?"

"She was my housekeeper," Mr. Gold reminded her, never once losing his cool edge, "we did exchange a few words on occasion."

Emma leaned back in her chair. She was satisfied with his answer, that much was obvious, but she hadn't sniffed out the truth yet either. "Then she must have been seeing someone else, a secret lover."

"I'll be of little help to you there," Mr. Gold told her, "I never saw her with any other man."

"She talked to you about Geoffrey," Emma pointed out, "did she ever talk to you about anyone else?"

He leaned forward, giving her a cold gaze. "What gives you the idea that she was in love with someone?"

Emma hesitated for a bit, as if she wanted to keep this information to herself. Well she wasn't going to get anything out of him if she kept her secrets. "I was looking through her room," she admitted, "we found a dried red rose under the floor boards. I think she was saving it…I think it came from _him_."

Mr. Gold heard her words but he felt his own heart seizing up just at the mention of the rose.

He'd given her one.

_"Just an old woman selling flowers."_ He'd hidden the rose behind him, like a lover playing games before presenting it to her with a flourish. _"Here…if you'll have it_._"_

She'd taken the rose with a beautiful smile. _"Why thank you_," and she curtseyed like a woman being courted. He bowed to her, not caring that it was a little childish…he just loved to see her smile. To watch as she smelled the rose's delicate scent before turning away…and he knew he'd seen the lovely blush on her cheeks.

"Well her father is a florist," he reminded her icily.

Emma didn't buy that argument. "Then she wouldn't have hidden it from him," she reminded him.

"Perhaps she simply hoards her treasures like a dragon," he said, now he was simply trying to throw her off the scent.

"The rose was the only thing there," Emma explained. She sighed, "She hid the rose so obviously she didn't want her father to find it. It means that whoever he is…her father didn't like him."

Mr. Gold didn't like where this conversation was heading. Did she suspect him? He couldn't be sure; he only knew what his sins were in their real home. He didn't know what evidence had followed him here. "Well," he told her evenly, "perhaps you should talk to her father then."

"I'm not going to go to a man in the hospital and tell him that his daughter was sleeping with the enemy," Emma declared.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "But you think I would be help to you in this?"

"She talked to you," Emma reminded him, "You saw her everyday."

"I never asked her who she was in love with."

"But you must have seen _something_," Emma replied, "There has to be a clue. Did she come in late? Did she mention a name? Anything?"

"It was a long time ago, Ms. Swan."

She didn't accept that explanation. "It was two years ago, not a decade."

Mr. Gold gave her an exasperated look. "No, she was never late and she never gave me any names. I cannot tell you what I do not know."

She was look desperate now, which might be why she finally asked. "She _never _told you she was in love with _anyone_?"

He froze.

How was he supposed to answer that? He searched for a way to skirt the truth without actually lying but there were no loopholes in this question. Belle had told him she loved someone, she had told him she loved _him_. So…a lie it would be.

"No, Ms. Swan," Mr. Gold told her simply, "She never said she loved anyone to me."

Emma studied him, her eyes locked on his. She tilted her head just a little and he knew that he'd been caught. Oh he was a very good liar but that bit of magic she possessed was enough for her to know when he was being less than honest.

She knew he was lying…but she didn't know why.

His best course of action was to end this conversation, immediately. "Are we done here?"

Emma didn't say anything for a moment but kept her eyes on him. Then she nodded her head but her eyes were still suspicious. "For now."

He had no doubt she meant it.

Emma rose from her seat and he followed her to his door. They didn't exchange good-byes because she knew he was eager for her to leave and she wasn't at all reluctant to either.

And then he was alone again.

_"You were freeing yourself! You could have had happiness if you'd just believed that someone could want you…but you couldn't take the chance."_

She had been right. He couldn't take that chance. He couldn't take the chance that she would turn him from his purpose or be used against him. He had convinced himself that it was impossible for anyone to love him as the monster.

_"It's quite simple really, my power means more to me than you."_

He'd lied then too, and just like Ms. Swan, she'd seen right through him.

_"No, no it doesn't. You just don't think I can love you. Now you've made your choice and you are going to regret it…forever. All you'll have is an empty heart, and a chipped cup."_

Mr. Gold picked up that chipped teacup, cradling it in his hands once more.

She'd walked out of the castle then…and never looked back. He'd watched her, watched her and seen the long stemmed rose in her hand. Just that and nothing else.

And maybe not…maybe she'd carried a part of him inside of her. He'd wanted her to prove her love…she'd done so, even if she hadn't borne his child.

His lips were pressed into a hard line as his grip on the teacup tightened. He'd simply wanted company, that was all. But that dangerous choice had only created more darkness to consume him.

It was his fault for forgetting that loneliness was his penance.

* * *

Emma hadn't planned on bringing Rose to the hospital to visit her grandfather, but after the interview with Gold she felt like she had to accomplish something in helping that precious child. Gold hadn't provided her anything except more questions. Moe was always glad to see Rose. She wished she could bring her by more often, but with Kathryn's disappearance and now likely murder, there wasn't much time to do it.

"How goes the investigation?" Moe asked in an effort to make small take. They didn't have a whole lot in common so they rarely talked about anything else besides Rose.

"All right," Emma said, "I really can't say much though, sorry."

"That's okay. I'm sure you're doing fine."

"Thanks," Emma mumbled. She certainly didn't feel like she was getting anywhere, with either case. Rose didn't notice her caretaker's melancholy, she was too busy munching on some cheerios on her grandfather's chest.

"Look, um," Emma said, uncertain of how to begin this whole thing. It wasn't like she'd asked Moe's permission to look into his daughter's past. Still, this could only help him. Right? "I've been trying to find Rose's father."

Moe blinked at her. "You have? Who is he?"

"I don't know. I keep hitting dead ends. The only thing I do know for sure is that it wasn't Geoffrey because he was dead."

Moe nodded. "Yes, poor boy. I really liked him. I had hoped Alayna would marry him, but…well, unfortunately that never happened. Maybe if he'd lived, she would still be here."

Maybe, but Emma wasn't so sure. Gold had told her Alayna hadn't been in love with Geoffrey. Maybe Moe wouldn't buy that, but she did. That picture showed a woman stiffly accepting an arm around her shoulders. It wasn't the image of a woman madly in love, certainly not enough emotion to hide a rose under her floorboards. So who had aroused that passion in Alayna?

"It doesn't really matter if you find him or not," Moe assured her with a warm smile, "I'm quite happy having Rose to myself." He then let out soft breath and looked down at his cream colored blanket. "Though I do wish Alayna were here."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I know. I guess she doesn't really need him since she has you. I'm sorry I can't give Rose her mother."

"You've done more than enough, Sheriff Swan. I don't know how I can ever repay you as it is."

Emma smiled and reached over to ruffle Rose's chestnut curls. "Trust me, you don't have to do anything. In fact, she's helped me out a lot." Her smile brightened as another face flashed through her mind: the cheerful, beautiful face of her own child. "She's helped me see that I can be a mother."

It still didn't sit well that Rose's mother had just up and left when there wasn't any sign of distress, but she supposed that was just another part of the story she would never know. Rose was such a beautiful child, even she couldn't figure out why anyone wouldn't want her. She did. Mary Margaret and Moe did. That was enough.

"You're going to be in trouble when she gets older," Emma said with a laugh, "Her mother did, I'm sure."

Moe chuckled. "Alayna actually never caused me any trouble with boys, the boys on the other hand…"

That made Emma snicker and shake her head. "Yeah, I'll bet. But Rose seems pretty outgoing. I'll bet she'll be a heartbreaker with that curly hair and those eyes."

Eyes.

Rose had brown eyes.

Emma glanced over at Moe who was smiling down at his granddaughter. Those eyes were a clear, sky blue. So were Alayna's.

But not Rose.

"Rose," Emma said softly, "She has brown eyes."

"Yes," Moe said absently.

"But Alayna's were blue, just like yours. That means she must have got them from her father."

"I suppose so," Moe said with a shrug. He didn't understand. He wasn't seeing what Emma was seeing.

_No. No it can't be,_ she thought. Emma's hand acted without her knowledge, reaching over and tilting Rose's face up so she could see her eyes clearly. Yes, they were a rich brown with a honey gold ring around the pupils. Quite lovely. And very, very familiar.

"You said Alayna never did anything out of the ordinary before she told you she was pregnant."

"That's right," Moe said, "She left every morning at eight and came home every night at ten."

"Ten?" Emma gasped, "That's kind of late for housework."

"She mentioned her duties were flexible, I assumed she worked at Gold's shop some of the time as well." He let out mirthless laugh. "Sometimes it felt like she was living with him."

He missed the horrified look on Emma's face because he was too busy revisiting the past. "I was relieved when he fired her, but Alayna was devastated. She moped around the house for weeks. Actually, she didn't perk up until after she told me she was pregnant."

Emma felt sick to her stomach now. _Oh God oh God oh God oh God._

"Sheriff, are you all right?"

"What?" Emma asked and then the question registered, "Yeah, I'm…I'm…" Nope, she wasn't fine, not even close to fine. "I've actually got to do something for the case," Emma said, "So I'm sorry, but I'll have to cut this short."

She quickly scooped up Rose's coat and slipped it onto the toddler. "I'll bring her back tomorrow, I promise."

Moe nodded, but the look of disappointment in his eyes was plain to see. "Of course." He gave Rose a quick hug and a kiss before handing her back to Emma. "Bye, rosebud. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Say bye to grandpa," Emma told Rose, guilt forcing her to stay an extra second.

"Bye bye, Gampa."

Emma broke a few traffic laws on her way to the sheriff's station, but she didn't care. She had to prove her theory wrong. It just couldn't be true. It couldn't.

She fumbled with her keys to open the doors while Rose fussed a bit. The kid was probably just confused about all of the rushing, but there wasn't time to soothe her. Emma hurried down the hall as fast as she could with a toddler. Her office was dark but that problem was solved with the flick of a switch. She quickly set Rose in her playpen and hurried to the filing cabinet.

Graham had been meticulous in his files, using a system that was neat and easy to follow. Emma had kept it up since she'd taken over as sheriff. It was a small town so very few people had ever been arrested. Leroy had the thickest file there and that was filled only with drunk and disorderly's. It took only a second to pull out Gold's arrest file.

His mug shot was just as she remembered, bitter and filled with resentment. She remembered considering sending him a copy just to tick him off, but had decided to rise above the matter. Best not to poke the sleeping dragon.

She brought the file over to her desk and grabbed an envelope filled with pictures. Mary Magraret had taken about a hundred different pictures of Rose in the past few weeks. She claimed so Moe could see how much fun Rose was having, but Emma suspected it was some motherly instincts she was simply developing for the child. She understood that feeling well since a framed picture of Henry sat on her desk.

Rose smiled back at her from the photograph, cheerful as ever with her arms wrapped around the stuffed puppy Mary Margaret had bought her on her second day with them. Those lovely eyes of hers were warm and shined with the innocence of a young, vibrant life. Mr. Gold's on the other hand were harder, creased with lines at the end that proved a long, difficult life, like he'd lived for too long and seen too much. His were full of darkness, hate and pain. It would have been easy to miss, but when Emma put the pictures side by side she could see it clear as day.

Both had brown eyes the color of roasted chestnuts, with a shot of gold around the black centers. Too similar to be just a coincidence.

Emma shook her head at Gold's picture. "You son of a bitch."

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoOoO_

Mary Margaret had been at parent-teacher conferences all evening so it wasn't a surprise that Emma had beaten her home for once. "Hey," she called out, dumping her purse on the kitchen counter. Rose was sitting on the floor coloring with a crayon. "Hi, Rose."

"Mawry! Up!" Rose announced and raised her arms as an invitation. Mary Margaret needed no incentive. Rose giggled while her second caretaker kissed the top of her head and tickled her belly. The child's babbling noises were the only sound in the apartment, which made Mary Margaret realize Emma hadn't said a word since she walked in.

"Emma, is everything all right?" Emma was still silent. Mary Margaret followed her roommate's gaze and saw that she was staring at Alayna's rose in her hand and her picture on the coffee table. "Emma?"

"Hmm?" Emma finally glanced up and saw her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was kind of out of it for a moment."

"I could see that." Mary Margaret sat down next to Emma on the couch, tucking Rose into her lap. "What's on your mind?"

"I brought Rose to see Moe today."

"Oh, how was it?"

"Interesting."

Mary Margaret frowned at her, blinking her green eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Emma stared down at the picture. "It just…gave me an idea. I think…I think I know who Rose's father is."

"You do?" Mary Margaret gaped at her for a second. "Who?"

"I don't know for sure. It's just a theory." Emma let out a groan and whispered, "God, I hope I'm wrong."

"Emma, what are you talking about?"

"Before I went to the hospital, I went to talk to Mr. Gold," Emma said, "He's the only one who seems to know Alayna, at least well enough to give me some information."

"Did he?"

"Sort of," Emma said, "He told me she wasn't in love with Geoffrey, that she'd told him that herself."

"Really?"

Emma nodded. "I asked him if she ever told him that she was in love with someone, and he said no." She looked down at the rose, tracing it's brittle petals with her fingertips. "He lied."

Mary Margaret frowned at her. "Are you sure?"

"I know when people are lying and he was. He's hiding something."

"What?" Mary Margaret asked. Mr. Gold seemed like the type of man to have many secrets. Could he know what happened to Alayna? Had he helped her see her mysterious lover?

Emma picked up the picture of Alayna and held it in her free hand. "Look at Rose."

Mary Margaret frowned but did as she was told. Rose was playing with the buttons of her coat, tugging on them and rubbing their smooth heads. "I am."

"Look at her eyes." Mary Margaret saw nothing unusual there so she just shrugged. "They're brown," Emma said. She held up the picture to Mary Margaret's eyelevel. "Alayna's were blue."

"Then she must have her father's eyes."

"Exactly," Emma said, her voice heavy with knowledge that her roommate was still oblivious to, "Moe said Alayna never did anything out of the ordinary, that she left every morning and came home on time every night. Gold said Alayna was never late, never shirked her duties. There is nothing to suggest that she was doing anything out of her normal routine."

Mary Margaret shook her head a bit. "But we know she was seeing someone, she had to."

Emma nodded. "I know, but maybe she wasn't sneaking out to see someone. Maybe he was already involved in her life, that's why her father never noticed anything out of the ordinary."

"What are you saying, Emma?"

Emma nodded her head towards Rose. "Look at Rose's eyes and think about who we know was in Alayna's life. Someone we know her father didn't like. Someone she saw everyday, who no one would suspect if they saw her with him."

Mary Margaret went through the short list in her head while staring into Rose's big brown eyes. It took only a moment for her to see what she should have seen all along. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

She'd seen those eyes every third Wednesday of the month. She'd seen those eyes without the bubbly cheer that were shining in this child's. She'd seen those eyes on a different face, on a man no one in this town cared to deal with.

"Oh my God," Mary Margaret whispered. She looked over at Emma who nodded once. "You think…?"

"I think Alayna was in love with Mr. Gold."

* * *

A/N: And so it begins.

The book mentioned is Eloa, a french poem about an angel who fell in love with Satan and ultimately was dragged down to Hell with him. I always thought it fit Rumple and Belle because I have a feeling he blamed himself for her "death" and sort of thought his own darkness destroyed her, much like how Satan's love destroyed Eloa. The quote in French is actually from the book and it means "Oh the ineffable delight of moments of love! Heart responds to heart like air to the lyre."

Next chapter, after she fails to get more answers from Mr. Gold, Emma turns to something drastic in the hopes of finding out for sure if he is Rose's father. But the results come in for the fingerprints which gives Emma another problem, one that will make her life even more difficult.


	8. The Beast

Disclaimer: If we owned Once Upon A Time then Rose would actually be in the show, she's just too cute to ignore.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Finally got this chapter done. It's not very long, but surprisingly difficult, LOL. This caps off the end of the Red Handed and sets everything up for Emma having to deal with Rose completely alone and for Gold to finally get a little more time with her when he becomes Mary Margaret's lawyer. I hope you all enjoy this one. The scene with Henry kicked my butt, but I think it's one of my favorites.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: This was a hard chapter to write like Tin said, but I think it turned out all right. More stuff with Gold as Emma circles around the truth, it'll get very interesting.

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**berry:** I'm glad you liked it and here is another new chapter for you.

**giu:** Yep, Emma's finally on the right path, but you'll see that its not an easy thing for her to accept. I hope you like this chapter.

**kana117:** Yep, Emma finally saw what was right in front of her. You'll see her begin to approach Gold here, but don't expect her to reveal it all yet. She wants him in a position where he can't talk his way out of it, and that takes some time.

**Mia:** Wow, thanks for the compliment. We work hard to make this a good story for everyone. And yeah, Rose is a sweetie pie. I love her so much and she's not even real, *cries*

**Guest:** Gold has already accepted the possibility, he just isn't completely sure she is his. He already wants her, he's just afraid he's wrong. That's why its up to Emma to get to the truth on this one.

**Mojojojo:** Sorry it wasn't quick, but here is the update. I hope you love it.

**blueberrysuite7:** Sorry, not much Rose and Gold interaction in this chapter, but definitely more soon.

**Guest:** We hurried. And it's here. I hope you enjoy it.

**guest:** LOL, yep we are that evil. But here is the next chapter and I hope you like it.

* * *

Chapter 8: The Beast

Panic set in the next day for Emma.

She barely slept, giving up that idea long before the alarm clock usually sounded. Instead, she crept downstairs and tried to read a book, tried to balance out her checkbook. Ultimately ending any hopes of distraction.

Emma found the picture Alayna with Geoffrey and put it next to the dried up rose and the book. The man in the picture had no use to her now, but she kept looking at Alayna. She was a beautiful girl, and while they always say you can't judge a person from their appearance, Emma could tell she must have been a kind soul as well.

"Who are you?" she whispered to the frozen image, "What happened to you?"

But the smiling picture of Alayna French could offer her no aid.

Emma sighed and stood up from the couch to tiptoe over to Rose's crib. Alayna's daughter was still asleep. One hand was curled around the antennae of her butterfly and one leg poked out from her blankets. Emma smiled and gently tugged the blankets back around her. Rose let out a little sigh and smacked her lips in her sleep. Emma couldn't resist bending down and gently kissing her forehead. Rose didn't stir.

Alayna might have done the same once, but she was gone. Rose was lucky to at least have a name and a picture for a mother. Perhaps not so lucky for a father.

"Oh God, what if I'm right?" she whispered to the sleeping child, "What am I going to do?"

Rose slept on as Emma paced and argued with herself. Mary Margaret found Emma sitting on the floor next to Rose's crib with her head buried into her hands, practically pulling on her curly blonde hair.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret said, bending down next to her once Emma looked back, "Have you been up all night?"

"Nearly," she admitted, "I just…I couldn't sleep."

"Oh Emma," she said with sympathy, "I know…it's a hard thing to accept."

"You're damn right," Emma said, "It's impossible."

She hauled herself back to her feet, stalking over to the kitchen to make coffee. "Tell me I'm crazy. Tell me I'm jumping to conclusions."

"Emma, you know I can't say that. I see it too."

Emma turned around with the bag of coffee grounds in one hand and the coffee pot in the other. "Okay, so they have similar eyes, big deal. I mean tons of people have brown eyes. Regina has brown eyes, that doesn't make her Rose's aunt."

Mary Margaret looked down at the crib. "She kind of has his cheekbones," she said and then tucked a lock of Rose's hair behind her ears, "His ears too."

"Maybe we're just seeing things," Emma said and then pointed to them both, "We have the same chin, similar noses, but there's no way you could be my mother."

Mary Margaret gave her a sympathetic look. "This is different and you know it. It's not like Henry pulled this out of his book, you actually have some proof that Rose is Mr. Gold's daughter."

Emma shook her head. "No, I don't have any proof. I have a hunch, that's not the same thing."

While the coffee brewed, Emma went back to the table and held up her only evidence. "All I have is a picture, a book and this rose. None of that proves she was seeing Mr. Gold."

"But she was working with him," Mary Margaret reminded her, "And you said yourself you thought he was hiding something."

"I know, I know, it's just…" Emma sank down into the couch with a groan, "God, this is going to kill me."

Her face was set to her knees, her hands buried in her hair and crossed at her neck. Had she really been harboring the daughter of the coldest, greediest, most power hungry man in town? Of course that wasn't Rose's fault, but if she was right…what would he do?

She felt the side of the couch move as Mary Margaret sat down next to her. Her arm went around her shoulders in a warm half-embrace. Emma had always relied on herself, but it was surprisingly nice to have someone willing to offer what comfort they could.

"I know this is hard," Mary Margaret said, "But can you really just ignore this possibility?"

Emma lifted her head with a sigh. "I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do."

Since sitting around wasn't going to provide answers, Emma got up. "I'm going for a walk," she said, "maybe it will help."

"We'll be here," Mary Margaret said.

Emma changed out of her bed clothes and left Mary Margaret to watch Rose. The morning was cold, like it always was, but it was refreshing. Storybrooke was still pretty drowsy, with only the earliest of risers up and about. She wandered around the town for a while. Some of the shops were open, most weren't yet. She walked down Henry's street, but didn't dare stand outside the house for more than a few moments.

She'd lied to him about his father for his own good. Maybe she should just ignore this whole thing and let Alayna's secrets stay with her. Sometimes secrets were best left alone.

The only problem with that was that she wouldn't be able to look into Rose's brown eyes without wondering. And what right did she have to keep Rose from her father? She wasn't her mother, wasn't blood kin at all. She had no claim on her whatsoever.

Emma kept walking until she found herself in the town square. Granny's was open for the early breakfast crowd and it was cold. Cocoa and cinnamon sounded like a great idea.

She stopped just outside the diner when she saw Mr. Gold was inside, clearly enjoying his own early breakfast before opening up his shop. She stood off to the side so he wouldn't notice her staring. Emma took a long look at his face. Oh God, she could see it. Rose did have his cheekbones. And her fingers were long like his.

A part of Emma was certain she'd finally found Rose's father. The other half was desperate to prove herself wrong. If Rose was his daughter, how had it happened? _"I'm a difficult man to love,"_ he'd told her once. She could see that.

Had Alayna?

She might buy the idea that Gold had somehow pressured the girl, it was just that rose seemed to suggest otherwise. Of course, Mr. Gold hardly seemed like the type to give a girl a rose. Maybe she was wrong. It could have been someone else. Except all of the pieces, no matter how few there were, all fell together with Mr. Gold as the answer.

Mary Margaret was right, this couldn't be ignored. Emma squared off her shoulders and strode into the diner, forgetting all about her cocoa. The diner was sparse and Mr. Gold was surrounded by empty tables. No surprise there.

He'd glanced up when she'd walked in but went back to sipping his coffee. He didn't look at her as she came over to him. "Sheriff Swan, if you are wanting this table then you'll have to wait until I'm through or choose another."

"I don't want your table," she said, "I want to finish that discussion we had yesterday."

Gold looked completely unfazed as he took another bite of his eggs. "I thought we'd finished that."

"No we didn't," Emma said, "You were hiding something. I want to know what."

Gold glanced up at her, those brown eyes looked amused. "And you assumed I would confess all simply because you want me to?" He let out a chuckle. "I never pegged you as naïve, Ms. Swan."

Emma felt a spurt of indignation. She was tempted to blurt out every retort she could think of and leave with the last word since he was so good at doing that himself. But then she realized that was exactly what he wanted her to do.

He wanted her to get angry and leave in a huff. He wanted her to end Round Two prematurely before she would ferret out anymore answers from him. Clever man, but not clever enough this time.

"Alayna told you that she wasn't in love with Geoffrey," Emma said, "Why did she tell you that?"

"What does that matter?" he asked.

"Are you reluctant to answer the question?"

He wasn't amused anymore. In fact, now he looked annoyed, broaching on anger. "Not at all, dearie," he said tightly, "I'm just trying to discover what your agenda is."

"Then why haven't you given me a straight answer."

He glowered at her, but never broke eye contact. "I asked her."

"Why?"

"Idle curiosity. She didn't appear to miss him much."

"And she just answered," Emma said, one brow arched in disbelief.

"I told you," he said, "It was her father who brought them together."

"I get that, I'm just surprised she was willing to share such personal information with _you_," Emma said, "You're not exactly the most trustworthy of men."

He let out a huff of amusement and she saw his mouth turn up in a small grin. "No, but I've always been a man of my word."

Emma stared at him for a long moment because she couldn't figure out a way to refute that. He did always keep his word, even if his methods weren't exactly the purest kind.

"How close were you to Alayna?"

He frowned at her. "Excuse me, what do you mean by that?"

"Did you ever give her anything?"

"A feather duster to use on my collection," he quipped.

"I'm serious."

Gold leaned back in his seat, placing his palms flat on both sides of his plate. "How about you tell me what it is you think I gave her and then we can stop this foolish merry-go-round of questions?"

Emma stared at him hard for a second. "I found a book in her house, some sort of French poem. It doesn't look like your regular bookstore purchase. Did you give it to her?"

He looked at her for a while, one corner of his mouth ticking up. "There, was that so hard? And yes, I did give her the book. She was very fond of reading and the book was a sort of thank you for her diligent work."

"And that's all it was?" she questioned.

"You doubt my gratitude?"

"Writing 'there is no one else more worthy than you' seems a little strong for just a thank you." She crossed her arms and refused to even blink as she stared him down. "What exactly was your relationship with her?" Emma asked him.

That flicker of humor disappeared quickly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question."

"I was her employer."

"An employer she was willing to share her secrets with," Emma stated with a shake of her head, "That sounds a little intimate to me."

Something flashed across his face at the word 'intimate' but it was gone too quickly for her to figure out what it was. "What are you accusing me of?"

"I'm not accusing you of anything." _Yet_, she silently added.

"Well this feels rather like an interrogation," he said coolly, "Now unless you plan on charging me with something, I'm leaving."

Emma watched as he took one last sip of her coffee and then set it back on the table with his empty plate and a wad of cash. "Good day, Sheriff."

He walked out of the diner with his usual gait, his cane clicking the ground as he went. He never looked back at her but she never dropped her gaze at his back. He hadn't provided her with any answers. And he'd still managed to have the last word.

She could confront him again, but he was too clever with his words. How else could he get so many to deal with him despite his reputation? He knew how to talk his way out of anything, even battery charges. She could ask him questions, try to sneak her way into him confessing the truth, but he would see through that. Words weren't going to help her here.

There was only one way to discover the truth.

Ruby came up beside Emma and started to clear away the remains of Mr. Gold's breakfast. Before she could take the mug, Emma wrapped her own hand around it. "I'll take that."

Ruby blinked at her. "Um…okay, but I could get you a clean one."

Emma almost laughed at that, but instead she shook her head. "No, this is the one I need."

* * *

The stolen mug sat on Emma's desk, staring at her all morning. Rose sat in her little playpen with Susu, flapping the little butterfly around as if it could actually fly. Emma alternated staring at the cup and at Rose, wondering if half of her DNA was on that cheap piece of ceramic or if she was barking up the wrong tree.

"How about this?" Emma said towards Rose in her pen, "Tell me not to and I swear I will chuck this mug in the garbage and let it all go right now."

Rose paid her no mind, just dropped her butterfly in favor of her white bear.

"Okay, I know you can't actually answer me, but I don't know if I should do this. I mean…it's Mr. Gold."

"Gol," Rose said from her pen, now blinking back at Emma.

"Yes, Gold. Before yesterday, I'd have thought it was crazy. He doesn't exactly strike me as the romantic type. He doesn't even strike me as a guy who could love, period."

"Wuv."

"Yeah, but now…" Emma sighed and knelt down on the floor next to Rose's playpen so they were at eye level. "Is it your mother? Was that the woman Gold was beating your grandfather over? Did he love her?"

Rose blinked back at her for a moment and then held out her bear for her. Emma smiled and stood up before reaching down to pat her head. "You're a sweetheart. I wish this could all be fixed with a bear, but there's really only one thing I can do."

Emma returned to her desk and pulled out the large envelope and forms she'd already filled out. She took a swab from the collection kit Graham had kept in stock and ran it around the rim of the mug. A couple of swipes and she had Mr. Gold's DNA on a cotton swab. Gee, what she'd always wanted.

She stuck the swab into a sealed container and removed a second one. Emma scooped Rose out of her pen and set her down onto her lap. "Okay, Rose, I need you to copy me. Say ahh." Emma opened her mouth and let out the garbled sound doctors did to make kids open wide.

Rose stared her a bit and then giggled before opening her mouth wide and sticking her tongue out, trying to make the same sound. Emma took the clean swab and rubbed it against the inside of Rose's cheek. She let out a whine and stared at Emma with uncertainty.

"There, all done," Emma said. She put the swab into it's container and then kissed Rose on the top of her head. "Good girl."

Now she had two swabs that could prove everything or nothing and she wasn't entirely sure which one she hoped for. "If this turns out badly," Emma said, "I hope you can forgive me."

She then slid the samples into the envelope and sealed it shut. She stuck Rose back into her pen before she grabbed the envelope and brought it to the 'outgoing' mail box. The mail carrier would pick it up that afternoon.

Emma stared at the face of the envelope, reading the address over and over: Boston DNA Diagnostics. In a few weeks, they would deliver the answer she needed. The sword of Damocles would hover over her until then. Could she actually do this?

Before she lost her nerve completely, Emma shoved the envelope into the box. The door slammed shut with a bang, sealing her decision before her eyes. Now all she had to do was wait.

* * *

His mother—his _other_ mother—always picked Henry up from school and brought him home or to Archie if it was time for his session. But that morning he'd told Regina that he was going to Paige's house until dinner. She said she was glad he was making friends, smiling with that blood red smile that told him she assumed it was all her doing. She didn't know that he walked two blocks past Paige's house to get to the sheriff's station.

In art class they'd made paper roses out of tissue paper. Henry saved his in his pocket to give to Rose, her mother got one so should she. He would have given her a real one, but he didn't have the money and she could hurt herself on the thorns.

Emma always smiled when she saw him. It wasn't the possessive smile he saw on Regina's face most of the time, it was that warm smile that told him he wasn't something to drown out the loneliness. She was just Henry to her. He liked being just Henry.

"Hey kid," she said, "How was school?"

"Fine," he said and then fumbled in his coat pocket for the paper rose. "I made this for Rose."

"Aw, that's sweet," Emma said.

Rose was still in her playpen, but she wasn't in the mood to see her present. She was actually fast asleep with her butterfly nestled in her arms. "I'll give it to her when she wakes up," Emma promised as she gently took the flower from him, "She'll love it."

Henry sat down on the floor next to the pen and unzipped his backpack. The book was safely inside, it's weight a friendly reminder that it was still in his possession. He opened it up to the story he'd been paying most attention to since Rose had arrived.

Nothing had changed. The pictures still only showed Belle and her Beast: her courage as she agreed to go with him forever, when she chipped the tea cup, the Beast holding her after she fell from the ladder, the two of them sitting as the Beast opened himself up to her for the first time, and when she dared to kiss him and her love began to break his curse.

This time Henry focused on the Beast. He studied his face (though the book revealed very little of that) and his words, but there was nothing that reminded him of someone in town. He'd found Prince Charming by the scar on his chin, Jiminy by his umbrella and Snow White by her ring. But there seemed to be nothing that could identify the man in the picture.

"Did you make any progress on finding Rose's father?" Henry asked. Emma was smart and the savior, she might have had more luck.

"I've gotten a lead," she admitted after a brief hesitation.

"You did? Who?"

"Sorry, Henry, but I don't think I should tell you, or anyone until I know for sure."

"But Emma—."

She shook her blonde head. "No, if it got out and it turned out I was wrong I could hurt Rose and upset a lot of people in this town. I need to wait, okay?"

Henry nodded. "Okay," he said. It was easy to trust Emma, unlike his other mother. Sure Regina wasn't terrible, but he knew there was an inky darkness to her that she'd long ago embraced. He wasn't sure if she could ever let it go entirely.

"How'd you figure it out?" Henry asked.

"Henry, I already said I don't know for sure."

"Yeah, but you must be pretty sure if you're so concerned about it," he pointed out, "So what was the clue?"

Emma let out a sigh. "I found a couple of things at Moe's house and then some of the stuff Mr. Gold told me about Alayna helped me figure it out."

Henry blinked back at her, frowning. "Mr. Gold? Why would you talk to him?"

"She used to work for him."

"She did?"

"Yeah, as his housekeeper."

"You mean…like a caretaker?" She didn't have to answer, he already knew the truth. "That's it! Emma, you're a genius! You figured it out!"

"What?" she asked.

Henry grabbed his book and set it down on Emma's desk, flipping the pages to return to the beginning of _Beauty and the Beast_. "I've been trying to figure out who Mr. Gold is for months, but you did it. He's the Beast. Belle worked for the Beast as his caretaker and then he fell in love with her. It must be Mr. Gold. He's Rose's father."

Emma shut her eyes for a long moment and then reached over to gently shut the book. "Henry…you can't tell anyone about this."

"So I'm right? You think it's Mr. Gold?"

"Henry," she said his name again with a solid tone to her words, the kind that made him listen intently. She knelt down so they were at the same eye level. "I know you think this is from a fairy tale, but this is serious. If I'm right, Rose's father tried to kill her grandfather. I don't know what will happen if and when this all comes out but I'm not betting on it being good. I need to keep this quiet until I have more proof."

He knew Emma didn't entirely believe in the book, but he had a feeling a part of her did she just didn't want to admit it. But Emma was right. This wasn't the gentle, changed Beast of other tales. This Beast had refused his one true love. This Beast was quite possibly dangerous because he _hadn't_ changed, at least not completely.

But he could. Maybe Rose was the key. Maybe she could bring her parent's back together and get the Beast to believe he could be different. But first, he would need to know.

Emma had that power, but she needed proof.

So after promising to see her again tomorrow, Henry left to do an offshoot mission for Operation Cobra.

His mom had never really wanted him to go to Mr. Gold's shop, though she'd never expressly forbade him. He knew there was a long standing war between the two of them but he still hadn't figured out what that was. He had thought that figuring out Gold's identity would be enough, but the book never explained why the Evil Queen and the Beast were at odds. He could chalk it up as something unimportant, but he very much doubted that. There had to be a history between them. If only the book was less cryptic on that score.

Mr. Gold's shop was open but there weren't any customers inside. Henry could see Gold going over some book at the counter, occasionally making a mark with a black and gold pen. Yeah, he did look a little like the Beast from the book, minus the weird skin of course.

He looked up when Henry walked in and even smiled. "Henry, hello there. What can I do for you?"

Oh yeah, he needed a cover. Think, think, think. "Um, my mom's birthday is coming up," he fibbed, "I was just looking for ideas."

"Anything in particular?"

"No, not yet," Henry said.

"Well," Gold said amiably, "Feel free to look around and tell me if you need my help."

"Okay."

Gold had never been unkind to Henry in all the years he'd known him. Even now, he didn't have that cold, calculating look he normally gave other people. If he was the Beast—and he just had to be—then he must have been just as warm with Belle, or Alayna as she was called here.

Henry pretended to be examining an old music box when he said, "Emma said you knew Rose's mother."

He saw Gold stop writing something in his book, the pen frozen in mid-stroke. "I did."

"Yeah, she said she worked for you."

Gold set down his pen and looked at Henry over the counter. His chin was tilted up and his brown eyes narrowed slightly. "Where is this uncommon interest in my previous employee coming from? I don't recall you ever knowing her."

Henry shook his head. "That's why I want to know."

"You're simply curious about a woman you never met?"

"Well yeah," Henry said, "I mean, Rose will never get to know her mother if someone doesn't tell her, right?"

It was quick, but Henry saw something flicker in Gold's eyes. Pain. But he looked down and when he met Henry's gaze again his composure was blank. "Indeed, though I doubt I would be of much assistance in that area."

"She was nice," Henry said, "I mean, she looked nice in the picture."

"Oh yes," Gold said, "She was a…gentle soul. You would have liked her."

"Did you?"

Gold frowned at him again. "What sort of question is that?"

"It's just you seemed to really like her," Henry said, "A lot."

Mr. Gold stared at him for a while with an odd expression on his face. Henry couldn't explain it, but it was like he was somewhere else. Maybe he was just trying to remember Alayna, he knew the curse distorted memories sometimes. Or maybe…no, why would Gold remember who he was? The curse was still in place, it was impossible.

Just then the bell above the door rang and they both looked to see it was Dr. Whale. "Dr. Whale," Gold said, "Here for some trinket to woo another lady or are you actually planning on purchasing something for yourself for once?"

Whale smiled back at him. "I didn't think you would care as long as the money is good."

"Oh I don't, but I would suggest looking for a little more variety."

"I have plenty of variety."

With the two men locked in a battle of wits, Henry chose that moment to slip out of Gold's line of sight. He waited until he moved away from the main counter to lead Whale to the jewelry section of the shop. The door to the back of the shop was clear and open.

Henry hurried inside, blinking at the mass amount of items. Many he assumed were in need of repair or restoration. Others were out of place, such as the case with the sword open on Gold's desk. What was he doing with a sword?

But next to the desk was an item Henry did recognize, the thing he hadn't realized he was looking for until just then. A simple, blue and white teacup with a noticeable chip in it's rim.

Henry gasped, his heart leaping inside of his chest. He took the cup off of the desk and rolled it around in his palms. It had to be the same cup. Like David's scar and Mary Margaret's ring, this was the thing that identified Mr. Gold for who he really was.

"Henry, what are you doing back here?"

Henry whirled around, still holding the cup in his hands. "Sorry, I saw that clock over there and I thought it looked nice."

"Yes, well you shouldn't be…" Gold went rigid when he saw what Henry was holding. "What are you doing with that?"

"Oh." Henry looked down at the cup. "I was just looking at it."

"Give it back."

It was the closest thing to a reprimand he'd ever received from Mr. Gold. He didn't hesitate in handing the cup over to him. Gold gave the cup a quick glance to make sure it was unharmed and then set it back on the desk. His hand remained fixed on it.

"It's pretty cool," Henry said, "How much is it?"

"It's not for sale."

"Why not?"

"It's just not, Henry." Gold swallowed hard as he stared at the cup he shielded with his hand. "It's getting late. Your mother will wonder where you are."

No, there would be no more answers from him, but that was fine. Henry had gotten all of the proof he needed. "Okay," he said, "Thank you, Mr. Gold."

Gold only nodded in goodbye. He was still staring at the cup.

Henry hurried out of the shop but he didn't go home just yet. He went to the park and sat down on the bench to pull out the book from his backpack. He flipped through the pages and stopped back at the beginning of the story.

_ "Belle was relieved that the Beast was only teasing her, but her fears swiftly returned when she saw that the cup she'd dropped had been damaged._

_ 'Oh my," she said, "I'm so sorry. I—it's chipped.'_

_ The Beast stared at her as she was crouched down on the floor, holding the now worthless cup in her trembling hands. 'Yo—you can hardly see it," she said._

_ As he watched her await her fate, he realized then that he didn't want her fear. He didn't even know why he'd brought her to his castle, but now he knew it wasn't so he could frighten her. 'Well it's just a cup," he said._

_ Belle smiled gratefully and stood back up to serve him is tea. The Beast sat back in his chair and watched her all the while. He didn't realize what this moment was, seemingly so insignificant. But it was so much more than that._

_ His heart, previously lost and trapped between walls and walls of stone, was stirring again. A small part of him had just been lost to this girl forever."_

* * *

Dinner was still cooking in the oven when Emma returned home from the station with Rose, but judging from the delicious smell it would be done soon. "Thank God," she said, "I'm starving."

"I hope you like lasagna," Mary Margaret said with a smile, "I was, uh, actually thinking about taking some to David. He seems a bit lost right now with all of this suspicion hanging over his head, I thought it might cheer him up.

Emma sighed as she peeled off Rose's coat and shoes. "I don't think that's a good idea, Mary Margaret. You don't want people start pointing fingers at you."

"Yeah, I guess," she said glumly, "I just feel sorry for him."

"And that's why one day you'll be created a saint."

Mary Margaret smiled and shook her head. "I wouldn't go that far."

Emma set Rose down on the floor and turned the TV on to cartoons. Rose obliged them by being hypnotized by Bugs Bunny, laughing when he managed to elude Elmer Fudd again. Emma saw that Alayna's book was open on the coffee table. "Were you looking at this?"

"Oh, yeah actually," Mary Margaret said, hurrying out of the kitchen to sit down on the couch next to her roommate. "It's quite lovely. It sort of reminds me of a sad version of _Beauty and the Beast_."

"Oh no, not you too," Emma said with a groan, "Henry figured out that I suspect Gold and now he thinks that Rose's parents were Beauty and the Beast."

"You mean he thinks Mr. Gold is the Beast?"

"Yeah," Emma said, "He actually went to his shop and says he found the chipped cup or something. I managed to convince him to keep all of this to himself. Until I know for sure, I'm not letting anyone else know about this."

Mary Margaret nodded. "That's probably for the best."

Emma looked towards the book. "So you figured out the book?"

"Yeah." She picked it up and started flipping through it's pages. "It's a sort of religious, mythical poem about an angel named Eloa."

"An angel? You mean those fat babies with wings?"

Mary Margaret laughed. "No, not like those. She was a beautiful angel born from Christ's tear at the death of Lazarus."

"I don't remember that."

"It was made up," she explained, "Anyways, she is eventually told about the fall of Satan and instead of reviling him, she feels sorry for him."

"Really? The Devil?"

"Pretty much everyone else's reaction in the book," Mary Margaret said with a smile, "She winds up going to the lowest part of Heaven and down to Earth where she meets a beautiful angel who has fallen from God's grace. She pities him and then falls in love with him. When she tries to go to beg God to forgive her love, the angel begs her to stay with him even though that would mean exiling herself from Heaven. She agrees, and as he is dragging her away he finally reveals who he is: Satan."

Emma blinked at her and then at the book. "Wow. Sounds cheerful."

"It's actually beautifully tragic," Mary Margaret said, "And the author does something quite interesting by having Satan truly love Eloa. He even hates himself for his love for her because he knows by keeping her he will destroy her, but he can't help himself. His love and selfishness are just too intertwined."

"Interesting," Emma admitted. She'd never really cared much for reading or religion, but the story wasn't half bad. A bit depressing, but the concept of someone so evil being able to love sort of gave the idea that evil is never entirely black, but made of varying shades of grey.

"So what about what Gold wrote, do you know what that says?"

"Yes, it's actually a quote from the book." Mary Margaret flipped around until she found the passage. She marked it with her finger. "It means, _Oh the ineffable delight of moments of love! Heart responds to heart like air to the lyre._"

Emma leaned forward to look at the text in French. "Huh, so Gold wrote her a love quote."

"Yeah, I know, I found that interesting too. Do you think he was…in love with her?"

"I don't know," Emma said, leaning back into the couch and closing her eyes, "I'm sure if I asked him about the quote he'd say it was his favorite from the poem or something like that. And maybe it is. Maybe this means nothing."

"Or it could mean something," Mary Margaret said, "I've known Mr. Gold for years and I've never heard of him ever giving a gift to anyone for any reason. She must have meant something to him."

"I know, I know, it's just…" Emma looked down at Rose who was chewing on her butterfly while her big brown eyes were transfixed on the colorful images on the TV. "He knows what I'm doing. I went to him before and told him I was looking for Rose's father and he said nothing. If I'm right…then he probably doesn't want anything to do with Rose."

Mary Margaret gave her a wide-eyed, open mouthed look. Clearly she hadn't even thought of that possibility. "Or maybe he's just scared."

"Or maybe he's just a bastard who doesn't want to take responsibility for his child," Emma said, "Maybe what happened between him and Alayna wasn't love but something else entirely. I don't know. I just don't know if I can trust him with Rose."

"So you're not planning on telling him?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma sighed and the shrugged. "Until I know for sure then there's no point."

"And when you do?"

Emma took the book and opened it up to the front cover. Gold's handwriting was a flourishing style of loops and curls, but still neat enough to read. She ran her fingers over the black ink. _No one else more worthy than you_. She read that line over and over again.

History told her Gold was liar and couldn't have possibly cared for anyone other than himself. Her gut said something else entirely.

"I don't know," she admitted, "I just don't know."

* * *

August W. Booth had an agenda in Storybrooke and it was entirely centered around Emma Swann. He kept more than one eye on her throughout his stay here, she was the key to saving everyone and she honestly had no idea. Her son did though, Henry was a good ally to have, not only because he was a smart kid but because he had Emma's trust.

She was stepping outside of Granny's when he arrived; it was good timing apart from the fact that she was carrying Rose. The kid was adorable but had no part in his plans; it would be easier to continue if Emma wasn't so concerned about finding out more about the baby.

"Hey," August said making her look up to meet his eyes. "That was a nice drink we had."

Emma gave him a wary look. "Yeah, it was all right, even if it was just water."

"We should do it again some time."

"Are you talking about more water or an actual drink?"

He smiled now. "I guess you'll have to find out."

She eyed him suspiciously. "You really think this mysterious crap is going to win me over."

"It keeps you interested."

She looked at him annoyed. "Right, well I am kind of busy right now anyways. I have kind of a crisis on my hand."

"Yes, the possible murder, I heard about that."

"And other things," she muttered and glanced at Rose.

August wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that but he didn't question her. He was going to suggest going somewhere, hopefully gleaning more insight into how to put her on the right path but the moment was interrupted by her phone. She pulled it out and looked at it. "Damn, it's Boston."

Emma looked down at Rose and then her phone, clearly torn between the two. "Could you take her?"

He nodded. "Sure, I'm good with kids."

She didn't look quite as convinced but she did place Rose in his arms and head towards the sidewalk for some privacy.

August took this opportunity to take a good long look at Rose. "Well hello there, you were quite a surprise to all of this. I don't know where you fit in."

Rose blinked at him, reaching up to run her hand over his chin. He smiled sadly at her. "I guess you are just one of the lost souls here too."

The little girl still stared him, taking one finger out of her mouth and pointed it at him. "Boy!"

August chuckled and nodded. "Yes, that's right I'm a boy."

"Boy…wood. Wood…boy. Wood boy!"

He gaped at her openly, too stunned by her words to do anything less. "How did you…?" She just smiled up at him, her big brown eyes full of light and laughter…and something else.

"Who _are _you?" He asked her, actually half-expecting an answer from this surprising child.

But Rose didn't say anything, hiding the truth behind an endearing smile.

Emma walked back up to them to see August peering at Rose with the intensity of a man trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle. "What's wrong?"

He blinked and looked up at her. "Nothing." August handed Rose to Emma; still feeling shocked by what had just happened. "Everything all right?"

"No," Emma said honestly. "Not at all."

He didn't get the chance to ask her about that cryptic response. "I'll see you later," she told him before walking away with the enigma in her arms.

August watched them go, unsure over what was happening anymore himself.

* * *

Emma knew exactly where Mary Margaret was, her sweet nature meant that she had to be with the one person she needed to stay away from. She wasn't surprised that the schoolteacher was at the Storybrooke animal shelter or that she was pleading softly with David.

She kept Rose clutched tightly to her as she walked into the building. David looked at her first, fear and shame were clouding his eyes. For a long moment the three adults just stared at one another while Emma searched for words.

"What is it?" David finally asked, "Did you find her?"

She shook her head. "We…we found a box."

"What does that mean?"

"Bad," Rose murmured. Emma had to agree with the kid.

"I think… we think that she…"

"What?"

Emma looked up at him sadly. "There was a human heart inside it."

The look of utter devastation in David's blue eyes was horrible, he really was terrified. Mary Margaret covered her face with her hand and looked like she was ready to cry. "Oh my God."

"No," David stammered, struggling to keep his emotions in check…and failing.

"Bad," Rose said again, "Bad, bad."

"We sent it out for some tests but there aren't any other missing people," Emma reminded them.

Mary Margaret finally stood up and saw how David was actually on his knees with devastation. "You should go," she whispered to Emma, clearly wanting to stay and comfort the poor man.

Oh God, this was the worst part.

"There's more."

"What?" David asked, still struggling with his tears.

She sighed. "There were fingerprints inside the lid of the box. Boston ran them through the records and there was a match."

There was a very long moment of silence as the news sank in. Oddly enough, resignation came over David's face. "Arrest me."

"No," Mary Margaret said quickly, "David!"

"Arrest me, Emma, do it," David told her, standing up. He was ready to accept his sins.

But they weren't his.

"David, the fingerprints weren't yours," Emma told him gently.

"What?" he asked very softly.

For a long time Emma struggled with the truth. Finally she managed to say it.

"They were Mary Margaret's."

"Uh oh," Rose said.

The kid had good timing.

* * *

A/N: Bum bum BUM! LOL, well we know what happens with Mary Margaret, so no worries on that score. But it'll still be a struggle for everyone. Please review, they're better than chocolate.

Next chapter: Emma struggles to take care of Rose alone, especially after Rose gets sick. While Gold and Mary Margaret worry over the toddler, Regina steps up with a plan to toy with Gold some more: take Rose herself.


	9. The Games We Play

Disclaimer: We haven't won the lottery since the past eight chapters, so nope, still not ours.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Sorry this chapter took longer than we expected. Work got crazy, but we finally got it out and it's pretty long so I hope that makes up for it. I like the scenes with Gold in this story because it really shows his struggle here, his desire to have Rose but not knowing if he even has a right to her. I hope you all like it.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion:This chapter took a while but it is a good set up for the next one which I'm excited to get to, more answers coming then. But this chapter had quite a bit of Regina which I love!

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**Guest:** Why doesn't Rose say Rumple's real name? That's actually a calculated decision on our part. First of all, Rumplestiltskin is kind of a mouthful for a toddler. But the main reason is Rose actually knows very few people's Fairy Tale Name. Check out what she calls people. Archie: Bug. August: Wood Boy, Gus: Mouse. She calls Ruby Red not because she knows her real name but because of her red hood. She sees who they really are, but she doesn't always know there names. She doesn't call Mary Margaret Snow, she calls her "Mawry" for a reason. Plus, we don't want it to be too obvious that she knows who everyone really is. But another reason is because she doesn't necessarily see Gold as the greenish gold imp we all know and love. Remember, Belle never saw him as a monster either.

**Mia:** Your solution has arrived, but expect more cliff hangers, hehehehe.

**guest:** We have given you more. I hope you like it.

**giu:** Yep, Gold is going to suffer and unfortunately it's not over yet.

**wveewa:** LOL, you're not the first person to ask those questions. One will be answered in this chap, the rest in chapters to come. I hope you enjoy it.

**Pesterfield:** We picked Boston because that's where everyone and everything goes in the show, LOL. I wondered why too.

**kana117: **Sorry, you'll have to wait on those, but they will come soon, we promise.

* * *

Chapter 9: The Games We Play

With the mug shots done, Emma had no choice but to usher Mary Margaret into a cell and lock her inside. She stood there, biting her lip and shaking her head. "I'm sorry about this."

"It's not like you set me up," Mary Margaret said.

"I know, but I hate having to do this. I know you would never hurt anyone, hell you can barely discipline Rose." Emma turned to smile at the child in her playpen. "No offense, kid, but you run over her."

"Thanks," Mary Margaret said dryly. She met Emma's eyes again. "How long will I have to be here?"

"I don't know," Emma admitted with a sigh. "A couple of days, maybe. Until I can find some evidence that proves you're innocent."

Mary Margaret nodded once. "Okay…in that case, you'll have to take care of Rose on your own."

Emma's eyes flashed open. "What?"

"You're all she's got while I'm in here."

"But Mary Margaret—."

"Emma, you've been doing great with her these past few weeks."

"Yeah, because I had you to help me out," she reminded her, "I didn't have to change every diaper, sing her to sleep at night or make her macaroni and hot dogs. You're the one who knows how to take care of a baby."

"But you've been learning. You can handle this, I know it."

"I don't know about this."

"Emma," she said, "What choice do we have?"

None. That was the truth. Moe was still in the hospital, only just starting physical therapy. It would still be a few weeks before he could properly care for Rose, and even then he would still have to take it easy. Rose had no one else. Emma had agreed to the responsibility the morning she took Rose home, she couldn't give her up now. Especially since she loved her so much.

"Okay," Emma said with a nod, "I'll do it." She bit her lip again, fighting the nerves in her stomach. "You got any tips?"

"Well you know her schedule already," Mary Margaret said.

"Yeah," Emma said, "Cheerios at one, nap at three, bath at six, warm milk before bed and lights out by eight."

"And remember, she doesn't like _Rock A Bye Baby_ she likes _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_ or _Mary Had a Little Lamb_."

Emma nodded. "Okay, what else? I know she doesn't like oranges."

"Or peas."

"Who does?" That made Mary Margaret smile.

Emma's smile faded when Rose called out, "Mawry! Mawry, play!"

"She's going to miss you," Emma reminded her.

"I know," Mary Margaret said, her voice breaking a bit, "But you'll be fine. I know it."

Emma knew her friend had full confidence in her, in both taking care of a feisty toddler and proving her innocence. But neither could be done sitting down. "I'm going to find some evidence," Emma promised her, "Hopefully I can get you out tonight." _God I hope so."_

"You'll do it," Mary Margaret said.

"Are you going to be okay on your own?"

"I have to be," she said solemnly.

"Mawry," Rose said from her pen. Emma walked over and scooped her up. She would have to take her with her anyways since Mary Margaret couldn't properly watch her behind bars.

Rose clutched her butterfly to her chest with one arm and stretched out towards her imprisoned caretaker with the other. "Mawry."

Mary Margaret blinked back tears as she reached through the bars to take Rose's hand. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm fine. Emma will take care of you. She'll take care of us both."

Rose took her butterfly and held it out to her. "Mawry," she said softly.

Mary Margaret gave her a watery smile, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Thank you, honey. I'll keep Susu company until you come back."

Emma reached through the bars to squeeze her friend's hand. "I'll get you out. I promise."

It was a promise she desperately had to keep.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoOoO_

Only hours later, Emma was discovering how difficult it would be the keep that promise. Instead of finding evidence to prove the frame up, she'd found more proof that her doe-eyed roommate had the heart of a killer. Of course, that knife had been planted but it still made Emma fell terrible for having to process it in the case against her friend.

"The heating vent?" Mary Margaret said tearfully, "Emma, I don't even know where the heating vent in my bedroom is."

No she wasn't lying, that was plain to see. "Well someone did," Emma said, "and they put a hunting knife in there. I checked for signs of a break in but there weren't any."

Mary Margaret sucked in a shuddering breath. "You don't believe me."

"Of course I do," Emma stated, stepping forward towards her frightened friend, "But what I think doesn't matter. The evidence is piling up by the hour."

Mary Margaret had her head pressed against the bars and her eyes closed. "Okay, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, you should think about hiring a lawyer."

"An excellent idea."

That smooth as silk voice came out of nowhere. It was Rose from her pen that cooed out, "Gol," the only one not surprised to see him. She had her little fingers curled around the wooden bars, her brown eyes blinking up at the man who Emma knew was more than likely her father. Gold looked back at her, one corner of his mouth crooked up in a half-smile.

"Mr. Gold," Mary Margaret whispered out a greeting.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked. Whatever it was, she knew it wasn't good.

"Offering my legal services."

"You're a lawyer?" She sounded more surprised than she really was. Weren't all lawyers snakes and cheats?

"Ever wondered why I was so adept at contracts?" he said, harkening back to the debacle with Ashley when he tried to steal her own baby out from under her. Funny how his own child (and with him standing in the same room as her, it was hard for Emma to deny it) was peaking at him with her intent little way. Good God, they even had the same expression in that moment.

"I've been following the details of your case, Miss Blanchard. And I think you'd be well advised to bring me on as your counsel."

"And why is that?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Well because the sheriff had me arrested for nearly beating a man to death, and I managed to persuade the judge to drop the charges." That smirk he had on his face was clearly meant for Emma. Oh he was proud of himself no doubt about that.

"Asserting your _influence_ isn't what's needed here," she said, "We need to find the truth."

"Exerting influence may be exactly what's needed her," he argued. Oh yeah, he was definitely a lawyer.

Well, she'd always been stubborn. "What's needed here, is for me to do my job."

"Well no one's stopping you," he insisted now with some force, "I'm only here to help."

Rose suddenly let out a whimper, forcing three heads to swivel to look at her. "Damn it," Emma whispered as she hurried over to Rose's pen.

"Is she all right?" Gold asked. Whoa, was that actually concern she heard?

"Yeah, I think she's just allergic to your personality," Emma said as she scooped her out of the pen. That and she clearly needed a diaper change, but he didn't have to know that."

"It seems rather obvious that in your need to do your _job_ you're neglecting her," he said, pointing to Rose with his free hand, "Perhaps if you let me help, you won't need to juggle so much, sheriff."

"I don't need your_ help_, I've got this," Emma hissed.

"Enough," Mary Margaret said from her cell, "Please go."

Emma grinned at Gold. "You heard her."

"No, I was talking to you." Now it was Gold's turn to grin at Emma, damn him. Emma turned to gape at her friend. "Oh, Emma, he's right, I need help. And you need to do your job or else I'm screwed. So just…please, do your job the best you can, and you'll prove me innocent. Until you do, I need some practical help."

She was so certain that is was impossible for Emma to argue with her. She sounded like a mother telling a child all of the reasons why touching the stove would be a very bad idea. Emma had no choice but to listen. And Gold knew that.

"Trust me," Gold said, "This is in Miss Blanchard's best interests."

_Like hell I'll trust you_. But this wasn't there wasn't anyway to convince Mary Margaret. She had no choice but to let her friend do this.

So Emma found Rose's diaper bag and put it on her free shoulder. "Good luck, Mary Margaret." She looked over at Gold as she said, her eyes conveying every warning she could deliver, "I hope _your_ best interests are what he's looking out for."

He grinned at her as she walked past him. Oh how she hated that smile. The only consolation is that with that devious smirk on his face, he looked nothing like Rose. She always smiled with warmth.

Emma took Rose to the bathroom and set to work changing her diaper. Rose babbled nonsense as she worked. After a few minutes, Rose was clean and buttoned all back up. "Well, at least I can still do some things right."

Rose laughed and grabbed a handful of Emma's hair. She didn't tug at it, just made a delightful game of batting it around for a bit. "You know not to trust Gold, right?" Emma asked her.

Rose blinked back at her a sucked on her thumb. "Okay, I know he might be your…you know, but we don't know that for sure and until I do…heck, I don't even know if I could trust him if it does turn out to be true."

Emma set Rose on the counter, blocking Rose with both of her arms by placing her palms on both sides of her. "Here's the thing, kid, I've only seen the nasty side of Gold. Truth be told, I don't even know if he has another side, it's just I found that stuff your mom was hiding and it makes me wonder if maybe there is. He's not exactly the kind of guy I imagine romancing a woman with a rose, but…I don't know. Your mom doesn't seem like the kind of person to let herself be used by someone. If I'm right…then I think she might have seen that other side to him. Maybe she's the only one who could."

Emma shook her head and let out a laugh. "Look at me. I'm starting to sound like Henry." Rose giggled around her thumb at her. Emma smiled back. "Okay, I promise that no matter what happens, I will protect you, Rose. I would never let anyone hurt you."

She kissed the top of Rose's head and breathed in that sweet, baby powder scent of hers. Anything that smelled like that was guaranteed to perk her up. "Well, I'm not going to save Mary Margaret from in here, now will I?" Emma gave her a big smile. "What do you say, kid, you up for being my sidekick?"

Rose grinned and continued to suck on her thumb. "I'll take that as a yes."

Emma picked Rose back up, took the diaper bag and swung out of the bathroom with her purpose renewed. She was all set to head back into town and find that evidence that would prove Mary Margaret as innocent. She didn't expect to run into Gold almost instantly.

"Quitting already?" Emma asked.

"Not at all, but I did want to have a few words with you," he said.

"Yeah, well, I'm kind of busy at the moment." She tried to walk away, but he blocked her path with his cane. "Really?"

"I know we've been at odds and you don't exactly trust me—."

"That's an understatement," she said.

He continued as if she hadn't spoken. "but we both believe Miss Blanchard is innocent. Now we can continue to avoid one another and work alone or we can actually work together to prove that fact."

"I'm doing my part," Emma said, "I'm just not sure you're actually doing yours."

"You're really going to let past offenses cloud your judgment?" he asked.

"Normally I give people the benefit of the doubt," she said coolly, "but with you, I don't feel so inclined."

He didn't look put out by her answer. He simply shrugged and moved his cane aside. "Have it your way, Sheriff."

For the second time, she was all set to make her exit but this time it was fate that stood in her way. Or actually his cane again.

This time the tip of the cane knocked against the partially open diaper bag, spilling out two of Rose's picture books. "Books!" Rose shouted and reached forlornly for her toys.

Emma was ready to wrestle the bag and the baby to retrieve the books, but she didn't have to. Instead she watched as Gold bent down and picked up the children's books with his long fingers. His eyes were on Rose as he held them in his hands. "Hers, I presume?"

"I'm not big on Elmo," Emma said as she took them from his hands, "Thanks, she likes to be read to. It calms her down."

His cheek ticked, like he was trying not to smile or something. "Her mother…she loved books."

Emma nodded. "And you gave her one."

"Yes, I did." His voice was soft, the words brittle as if he was struggling to contain them. He was choking on something. Maybe…his own heart.

He couldn't stop staring at Rose. And now…now she could see every identical facet in both of their eyes.

"You should get back to your client," Emma said.

He cleared his throat once. "Indeed, and you should return to your work, Sheriff. Good luck."

"Thanks," she said without really knowing why.

She hugged Rose tighter to her as she finally managed to walk away from him. That look in his eyes was no one she was going to forget soon. For the first time, she hadn't seen rage or cool calculation in those dark brown depths. They had held pain, and something else…something warm for once.

For a moment, they had looked just like Rose's.

* * *

After a truly terrible day with the case going nowhere except in the direction of Mary Margaret, Emma had no desire to fix a meal for herself. Which is why she stopped by Granny's with an unusually cranky Rose in her arms. An order of a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup would hopefully provide some comfort in these times.

"How are things, dear?" Granny asked sweetly.

"I'm okay," Emma replied even though it was certainly a lie.

"I just can't believe something like this happened in Storybrooke…it's so awful."

Emma nodded. "I really can't talk about an ongoing investigation though."

"Oh, I'm sorry, just ignore me."

"No, it's just…its kind of important that I keep the details to myself," Emma replied calmly.

Granny smiled warmly at her but neither one of them could say anything before Ross started whimpering again. "Is she all right?"

Emma shrugged. "She's been fussy all day."

"She hasn't eaten anything either," Granny noted, "usually she'd clean me out."

It was weird. Rose normally ate whatever was put in front of her unless it was green and leafy, especially if it was anything related to sugar. The fact that she wasn't eating anything was very strange indeed.

"She only started complaining once I arrested Mary Margaret," Emma explained, "I think she misses her. Mary Margaret knows how to handle her best."

"If you say so," Granny said still eyeing the child with uncertainty. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle this one alone?"

"I've got it covered."

"You could call someone in from Boston or Augusta to come help, even temporarily."

"Regina would love that," Emma snorted, "I don't want to give her any kind of satisfaction."

"Have you talked to the mayor about her."

"She likes to be updated, Regina loves to rule her little kingdom like a queen."

The bell to Granny's chimed and Rose piped up with the announcement. "Queen!"

Emma turned to see that Regina had just walked into the diner with her impeccably tailored look and business smile. "Oh, speak of the devil," she muttered and bristled with preparation for battle.

"I understand you made an arrest," Regina said giving Emma cool smile.

"I followed the evidence," Emma replied, "and I'm going to keep digging."

"You don't think Mary Margaret is guilty?"

"I find it hard to believe that the mild-mannered school teacher could cut out someone's heart," Emma pointed out.

"She was having an affair with Kathryn's husband, surely you see that's motive."

"Look, Regina, I'm doing my job, and I know you can't find any fault with what I've done so far."

Regina leveled her gaze with Emma. "No, but if I catch one whiff of favoritism on your part then I'll have to bring someone in who isn't emotionally involved."

"You can't do that until you have a reason to," Emma warned her.

"Then you better make sure you don't give me one."

"Believe me I won't," Emma said icily. Rose fussed a bit more and Emma looked down to see she was still just picking at her food. "Maybe you should get her some milk," Emma suggested to Granny, "see if she'll drink that."

"I'll do that," the woman said before going off the fetch the beverage.

Regina looked down at Rose, studying the child in front of her and Emma wondered if she saw a gleam of… something in Regina's eyes. "How are you handling the child?"

"What?"

"It cannot be easy taking care of a toddler while working on Kathryn's investigation."

Emma narrowed her eyes at Regina. "I'm doing just fine."

"But Mary Margaret was the one who was best with her, don't deny it. Now that she's in jail…well how will you manage to keep this one under control? You can't fool me, we both know that you aren't the motherly type."

"Things change, _I've_ changed."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah," Emma said coldly, "I have. I'll take care of Rose and when this is all over, you'll see that everything will have worked out just fine."

"That's quite a promise, Sheriff Swan," Regina said with a smug smirk, "You better watch out what you say, promises…are not always so easy to keep."

She gave her another superior smile before turning on her expensive heels and leaving the diner behind her. Emma watched her go feeling equal parts uncertainty and rage. She was determined to prove the woman wrong in every aspect of her words.

Emma leaned over to look at Rose who was blinking with sleepy eyes and still looking miserable…but she was okay. "I'm going to do this, and we'll both be okay."

Rose murmured and snuggled up closer to Emma, breathing deeply. "That's right," Emma whispered softly, "I'll take care of you."

But Emma couldn't shake the feeling that things might only get worse from here.

* * *

It had been a very long day so when Emma finally got home, she put Rose to bed and turned in for an early night herself. She thought a good long rest would make her ready to find that critical piece of evidence to prove her friend's innocence. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Rose's cries forced Emma out of her dreams. She opened one eye which alighted on her alarm clock. 2:09.

She let out a groan, "Rose," she whined into her pillow, "Don't do this to me, please."

Rose didn't hear her.

Left with no choice, Emma crawled out of her warm bed and pattered down the stairs. Rose was sobbing into her sheets, her face red and scrunched up all tight. These weren't the whimpers of pain or attention, she was really upset. Did she miss Mary Margaret that much?

"Come on, Rose, it's o—." Emma's words died in her throat.

The blankets and sheets of Rose's bed were wet. Not with urine or tears, but a milky liquid that Emma suspected was the return of her nightly cup of warm milk. She reached down to touch her forehead and felt a heat of more than just warm flesh.

"Oh my God!" Emma cried. She scooped Rose out of her crib, the heat of the fever burning throughout all of her tiny body. Rose sobbed into Emma's neck during the trip to the bathroom. Mary Margaret had found a baby thermometer at Moe's house weeks ago when this all began and had thankfully brought it with them. Now Emma found it in the cabinet, blessedly with the box and instructions.

After inserting it into her ear and waiting for a few moments, Emma gaped at the digital reading: 101.3.

"Oh my God," she said, this time in a deadly whisper, "Oh my God!"

After that it was a mad dash for coats, hats, Rose's diaper bag and her car keys. Emma didn't even change into her own clothes, just threw a sweatshirt over her pajama top and then her coat over that. She did change Rose out of her pajamas since they were covered in her vomit. Once she was bundled and cleaned up, they flew out the door.

Emma broke a dozen different traffic laws in her mad dash to the hospital. Good thing she was the sheriff. Rose had stopped crying and was now dozing. This wasn't like her usual nap, she was lethargic. It had to be from the fever.

Rose whimpered when she was lifted from her car seat and brought into the Emergency Room. "I need help," Emma said as soon as she walked through the door.

A young, African American nurse in a white uniform and paper cap walked up to her with a clipboard. "What's wrong?"

"She's sick," Emma explained, "She's running a fever and she threw up in her crib."

"Name?"

"Rose French," Emma said, "She needs to see a doctor, now. I'm just her temporary guardian, I don't really know what do in this situation."

"You did the right thing in coming here," the nurse assured her. She proceeded to ask her questions: how high was her temperature, any other symptoms besides vomiting and any knowledge of her medical history. Emma answered as best as she could, but she knew nothing about Rose's previous illnesses.

It wasn't long before they were brought to an exam room. Rose didn't want to sit on the table alone, so Emma set her on her lap and let her hide her face into her neck, covered by her blonde hair.

Dr. Whale pulled back the curtain, a bright smile alighting on his face. "A pleasure to see you again, sheriff."

"Not really on my end," she said, gesturing to little Rose. She never really liked Whale much, but right now she was glad to see him.

"Of course." He sat down on a stool, his smile now set on Rose. "Hello, Rose. I see you're not feeling well."

He gently pulled Rose's face away from her hiding spot. Emma situated Rose on her lap so she was facing him. Whale checked her temperature again, finding it only slightly higher than before. He examined her lymph nodes, throat, ear and prodded her stomach to see if it was hurting.

"Well, based on the symptoms, I believe she has the flu."

"That's it?" Emma asked.

"Don't be mistaken, the flu in children her age can be quite serious. I'll prescribe an antiviral, but there are other things you'll have to do," he said, handing her a list of instructions, "Give her plenty of fluids, water is best. Baby aspirin will help for her fever. Make sure she rests and try to get her to eat, broth would be best if she continues to throw up."

"You're not going to admit her?" Emma asked.

"I wasn't aware that you wanted me to."

"I don't," she said quickly, "it's just…I've never cared for a sick child before."

Whale showed no interest in her fears. "You've managed well enough so far. Surely if you need help you can talk to Granny."

That was a small measure of comfort, but Emma knew Granny couldn't be there twenty four-seven. That left the bulk of load for Emma.

Now Rose wasn't the only one in the room sick to her stomach.

* * *

Emma gave Rose her first dose of the anti-viral in the parking lot of the pharmacy while thanking God that it was open twenty-four hours. It took some coaxing to get her to take it since it was a liquid and probably tasted like crap. Rose started crying once she swallowed it, but at least it was down the hatch.

Misery continued to permeate throughout the apartment. Mary Margaret was missed more than ever. She was the one who baked cookies, made homemade hot cocoa with cinnamon and knew just what to say to make everything seem all right. Right now the best Emma could do was put on _Winnie the Pooh_ and let Rose doze on her chest. She liked being held at the moment. She still didn't sleep more than an hour before she started whimpering again. However, by six her fever was down to 99.1.

Emma took a brief nap herself, only waking up when some commercial with loud rock music came on. The clock read 7:13.

"Oh crap," she muttered. Rose murmured on her chest and the cried when Emma had to set her aside. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I need to go check on Mary Margaret."

A quick call to Granny resulted in an immediate babysitter. Granny was over within twenty minutes with a big Tupperware bowl and a bag of bagels. "Hey," Emma said, "Thanks so much for coming."

"Well of course. I even brought some chicken noodle soup, it'll be sure to make the little lamb feeling better in no time."

"Great. I've tried to get her to eat, but she won't take more than water."

"Her tummy probably doesn't feel too good," Granny guessed, "Don't worry, I know a few tricks to get her some nourishment. You go take care of Mary Margaret. I'll be fine."

"I won't be gone long," Emma promised.

One of the bagels was for her and she ate it in the car on her way to the station. She only just pulled into her space when she saw someone leaning against the wall. Mr. Gold.

"Great," she said in a groan, "My lucky day."

She slammed the door to her car with a little more force than necessary. She was tired, cranky and worried about Rose, none of that equaled the ability to be polite to Mr. Gold. "You're late," he said when he saw.

"Didn't realize you were the Time Police."

"I just assumed you'd be eager to help your friend, was I mistaken?"

"Go to hell," she hissed as she fumbled for her keys, "I've got enough problems right now, I don't need to add you to the list."

He had the wisdom to be silent as she unlocked the door and followed her down the hall to the jail and her office. Mary Margaret was sitting in her bed and judging by the dark spots under her eyes, she hadn't slept either.

"Emma," she said, "I'm glad to see you."

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay long," Emma said. She passed the paper bag through the iron bars. "I need to get home."

"I thought you were looking for evidence to prove innocence?" Gold said from behind her. This time, Emma ignored him.

"What's wrong?" Mary Margaret asked. Maybe she saw how tired Emma was or maybe she just could see the worry on her face.

"Rose," Emma said, "I had to take her to hospital last night."

"What?" Mary Margaret gasped.

"What happened?" Gold asked immediately, "Is she hurt?"

"No, she's sick with the flu. She was acting weird all day yesterday and last night she had a hundred and one fever." Emma looked at Mary Margaret earnestly. "I didn't know what else to do so I brought her to the emergency room."

Mary Margaret patted one of Emma's hands that was curled around a bar. "You did the right thing."

"She _will_ be all right?" Gold asked.

Emma blinked as she looked over her shoulder at him. That wasn't simply asking, he was worried. "Yeah, Granny's with her right now."

"That's good," Mary Margaret said, "Granny will know exactly what to do."

Emma walked Mary Margaret to the bathroom and then locked her back up. She gathered a few extra things and promised to be back later to bring her lunch and check on her. That left Gold in the station alone with her roommate. If Rose wasn't sick, Emma wouldn't have even considered giving him run of the place. God only knew what he would do with that kind of power.

Mary Margaret wasn't nearly as nervous as Emma on that score. Her thoughts dwelt on little Rose, no doubt in more discomfort than she at the moment. She had fallen in love with that little girl the day Emma brought her home. Her heart ached with want to be back in that apartment comforting her. She knew Emma could handle it and Granny would help in every way she could, but Rose was just as much hers as she was Emma's. She wanted to be there to help tend to her.

Gold began going over the parameters of her case, but she only caught a few things. She hoped Emma would know to put a cool washcloth on Rose's head, it would help soothe the fever. A warm bath when the fever was down could probably help put her to sleep. Now that Emma was gone there were dozens of things Mary Margaret wanted to tell her to do. More than anything, she just wanted to see Rose herself.

"Miss Blanchard," Gold's smooth voice cut through her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid my mind was elsewhere," she said. He was only trying to help her and all she could think about was a problem that was completely out of her hands.

"Yes," he spoke softly, "I quite understand."

If Emma was right, and Mary Margaret didn't doubt that she was, then it was his own daughter who was ill at the moment. Any good father would be concerned.

"I know it's silly to worry. Rose is in very good hands. She'll be better in no time, I'm sure." She didn't know if her words assured him or not, he was very good at hiding his emotions.

"It is never good when a child is sick."

"No," she had to agree, "But she'll be fine. Granny will help and no doubt the doctor already gave Emma some medicine. She really did do the right thing bringing her to the hospital right away. I know Emma will take care of her, no doubt about that."

"I'm sure you're right, Miss Blanchard."

Well that was a start. As they sat there, it occurred to Mary Margaret that she was free to talk to Mr. Gold openly, without anyone wondering why. Emma had tried to get him to open up about Alayna and their probably romantic involvement but with little gleaned from him. However, Emma could sometimes push too hard, too fast and Gold wasn't the type to back down from an assault. He'd built up his walls and he was comfortable to hide behind them while Emma battered at them to no avail. Sometimes, it took a gentle touch to get through impermeable things.

"Children sometimes just need affection when they're sick," she said, "They want their mothers."

Something dark flashed in his eyes. "That's impossible for her."

"I suppose it is for her to have her _real_ mother," Mary Margaret said, "But I think Emma and I have become surrogate mothers to her, at least for now."

"How very modern," he said and opened his file again, "Now how about we return to your case?"

"She does remember her mother."

Gold gave her a startled look. "She—she does?"

"Yes. Oh I don't imagine she knows her well, but she knows her pictures. And one time she woke up from her sleep and asked for her mother." Mary Margaret gave him a small smile. "I think Alayna was very affectionate towards her before she left."

"I have no doubts."

It was the opening she'd been waiting for. "May I ask about her? Alayna, I mean?"

Gold frowned. "What makes you think I could tell you much about her?"

"Well I didn't say you were exceedingly close," though it was likely they were, "its just that I don't remember her at all and I think that's a shame. She seemed like a good person, and besides, how else is Rose to learn about her mother if no one tells her?"

There was no mistaking the sad resignation to his tone. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

Mary Margaret bit back her smile. "I know she liked books."

"Oh yes, the library in my house always received her utmost attention."

She chuckled at that. It was easy to imagine the young woman carefully dusting the shelves and organizing the books. Perhaps she even found a few that caught her eye and she would unwittingly abandon her duties to explore it's crisp pages.

"You're clearly well-read," Mary Margaret said, "You must have had a lot to talk about."

"We did discuss books often, yes," he said. One corner of his mouth crooked up. "And she was even more curious than you."

Now Mary Margaret actually laughed, partly because of his quip but mostly because she knew she was succeeding. He was opening up to her, telling her small things about Alayna. Things that betrayed his affection towards her.

"I'm getting the impression that you liked her," she said, quickly adding, "enjoyed her company, I mean."

"She was very pleasant, an intelligent woman who was not afraid to argue with me."

"Really? You like people to argue with you?"

"When they have a brain behind their words, yes. I always enjoy a good challenge."

She smiled again. Another picture formed in her mind, one of Alayna and Gold in deep discussion of something, taking opposing sides just to duel with their words. This certainly did speak more towards their relationship. It was clear she was not just an employee to him, not then and not now.

"It's a shame I never knew her," she spoke truthfully, "She sounds like an amazing person."

"Indeed, she was," he said.

"Did she have any faults?" She didn't know why that question occurred to her, but it would be interesting to see what Mr. Gold would have to say about that. He didn't answer right away, now having the far off look she'd had earlier.

Would he say something mundane, like she was terrible cook or laundress? Would he mention something more serious, such as being flighty or selfish? Alayna had been praised by many and yet she had this polluted black spot on her reputation of being a child abandoner. Many would be unable to look past that. Some saw her as an endearing soul, but others could only see her as a selfish woman. Mary Margaret wanted to know more about her, even her faults.

"She saw the good in everyone."

His answer confused her. "Isn't that a good thing?" she asked.

"Not if that is what ultimately destroyed her."

Her mouthed opened into an O as she stared at him with wide eyes. Destroyed? What did he mean by that? What good did she find in someone that turned around and ruined her?

Gold was staring off again, but this time she paid attention to his eyes. They weren't just focused on a memory, they were filled with pain and…guilt.

"We should return to the case," he said. She nodded because she knew she would get nothing more from him.

She had discovered something though, something Emma surely missed. Gold was certainly attached to Alayna's memory and whatever happened to her. She didn't know why Alayna did what she did or what exactly happened, but she had learned one important thing.

Mr. Gold blamed himself.

* * *

Doctor Whale and Granny both told Emma to make sure Rose rested until she was better. The only problem with that was Rose hardly slept. She managed to doze and hour or so every now and then, but Emma guessed she was feeling too poorly to sleep. Every now and then she would call out for "Mawry" or "Gampa", neither of them Emma could provide for her. In the night she called out for "Momma" and that broke Emma's heart. Alayna French was long gone, but her daughter still longed for her.

Granny came over often with soups and meals for both Emma and Rose. She promised the child lots of treats once she was up to it, but not even that coaxed a smile out of her. She lay on the couch with Emma and watched _Winnie the Pooh_ and _Bugs Bunny_ cartoons. The upside was that she wasn't crying as much.

When there was a knock at the door, Emma assumed it was Granny coming to check on them. She never would have guessed that it was Gold standing behind that slab of poorly painted wood. "Look, Mr. Gold, you're diligence in your work for Mary Margaret is appreciated," Emma said, "but I really don't have time to help right now."

"Oh I'm not here for that, at least not exactly."

"Then what are you here for?"

"Ms. Blanchard was very concerned about the child. I am here to check on her."

Yes, it would be like Mary Margaret to ask Mr. Gold to see about Rose himself. Not that she lacked faith in Emma, she was just worried. Emma would have done the same thing. Still, she'd updated Mary Margaret every time she went to the station, so this was a bit of overkill.

"She's okay," Emma said. Fine wouldn't really cut it. Sure, her fever was down, but not gone. It had dropped to 99.1 but then went back up to 100.0. She hadn't thrown up again, but she still wasn't eating as much as normal. Okay was probably stretching it.

"I'd like to see for myself, if you don't mind."

"My word isn't good enough?"

"Trust isn't what I'm known for."

Emma nodded. "That I can definitely believe." She thought about saying no, but since he was here on Mary Margaret's behalf, there wasn't much harm to it.

"Fine, but you can't stay long. She needs rest."

She moved aside to let him in. Rose was sitting up on the sofa with Susu in her lap. She was still awake, but groggy. Hopefully a nap would be forthcoming. Emma sat down next to her and she immediately moved to cuddle into her side.

"Has her fever broken?"

"Not yet." Emma stroked Rose's hair. "But it's not as high as it was before and she's eating a little bit now."

He nodded once without taking his eyes off of the child. "Has she slept?"

Emma shook her head. "Not enough."

"A warm bath might soothe her, at least that's what I've been told."

It wasn't a bad idea. Rose normally associated baths with getting ready for bed so maybe it would get her in the mood to actually sleep for a while. "Thanks," Emma said, "I'll try that."

He looked at Rose for a while longer and then simply bid them both a "Good evening," before he left the apartment. Emma had a feeling she would never understand him.

She did take his advice and set Rose in a warm water bath. It actually perked Rose's spirits up a bit. Emma guessed that this was Mary Margaret's idea, but it was still odd that Gold had even shown up. Of course, if Rose was his daughter this might suggest some parental concern for her. Could that be it? Was Gold worried about his child?

That might had made Emma feel a little better about her theory, but she still couldn't figure out why he didn't come out and say it. Sure it would be a bit scandalous, but Gold hadn't cared what anyone thought of him before. It was just odd.

Still, she couldn't focus on the enigma that was Mr. Gold. Rose was still sick and needed tending too.

After a little while, Emma scooped Rose out of the warm water and dried her off. Rose was drowsy as she was put into her pajamas so Emma set her down in crib and prayed she would sleep.

She did. Rose finally slept for a good four hours. She was smiling when she woke up that evening and calling out for "Emmy."

Emma picked her back up, smoothing the rumpled curls away from her face. Her skin was finally cool to the touch. "You're going to be all right, sweetie," Emma said with a smile, "You're going to be just fine."

* * *

Rose was feeling better, not one hundred percent since she still preferred to be quiet or sleep but at least she wasn't burning with fever or throwing up. Emma figured it would be all right if she took Rose to the station as long as she kept a careful eye on her.

Mary Margaret was happy to see both of them, especially Rose. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Her fever broke sometime last night," Emma explained, bringing Rose close to the bars so that Mary Margaret could get a good look at her. "She's still tired but she's not throwing up anymore, I think she's getting better."

"That's wonderful," Mary Margaret declared, reaching through the bars to touch Rose's hand. "You took good care of her."

"It wasn't easy," Emma told her honestly, "I don't blame you for sending Mr. Gold to check up on us."

"What?"

Emma saw a look of real confusion on Mary Margaret's face. "Mr. Gold said that you asked him to check up on her."

"I didn't ask him to do that," Mary Margaret said.

She thought about it for a long moment. "But if you didn't ask him why did he…" her voice trailed off.

Mary Margaret smiled softly. "Maybe he did it as a favor for me."

"When does he ever do favors for anyone?"

The schoolteacher considered the options. "Well if you are right that he's Rose's father…maybe he was concerned."

Emma wasn't quite as sure about that as her friend. "Maybe…or maybe he was afraid I'd damage his property."

"You really think he's that cold?"

"I don't know, I just know that it's impossible to trust him."

The conversation was cut short by the man in question himself. Mr. Gold walked into the station and noticed the two women deep in conversation. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"No," Emma said coolly, " nothing important."

Her gaze was settled on him but Mr. Gold noticed Rose very quickly. "I assume the child is doing better."

"Yeah, she is." Emma remained standing there for a moment. "I have some paperwork to do, you can talk to Mary Margaret here." She caught the eye of her friend who gave her a look with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. She'd noticed that Mr. Gold had asked about Rose too. To Mary Margaret that was proof that he cared, to Emma it was just prove he could observe there was a sick child in the room.

She took Rose over to her pen where the little girl immediately curled up with her stuffed butterfly and quietly sucked her thumb. She was tired out already, hopefully she'd be back to her cheerful and energetic self very soon.

Emma stayed at her desk, just out of earshot of Mary Margaret and Mr. Gold. She occasionally watched them talk, she didn't know what he was saying but she could only hope it was a strategy to help save Mary Margaret from being convicted of a crime she could never have done. She found herself studying Mr. Gold though, she kept wondering if there was a beating heart hidden somewhere inside of him, a heart that actually cared about the child that may or may not be his.

But if she was his then what had happened between him and Alayna?

She didn't get to think about it for very long. Regina marched into the building with a smug look and a very high attitude. Emma remained at her desk and didn't bother to hide her disdain. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to make sure Kathryn's case is being handled properly," she looked over at Mary Margaret and Mr. Gold. "I heard she's hired Mr. Gold."

"She thought she needed some help," Emma replied, she didn't like her choice of lawyer either.

"Not usually the mindset of an innocent person."

"It is for someone who is afraid and confused," Emma said, defending her friend.

Rose let out a little whimper, interrupting the conversation for which Emma was grateful. Emma walked over to see if she could soothe her but noted the obvious look of disgust on Regina's face. "You brought a sick child here?"

Emma was caught off guard by that comment. "She's not that sick anymore," she pointed out, "and I have to bring her here if I'm going to keep an eye on her."

"Are you certain that you are doing an adequate job?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well clearly it isn't easy juggling your job here and a sick child, otherwise she wouldn't have had to go to the hospital in the first place." Emma flinched at the guilt of being caught like that, but she knew Rose's illness wasn't her fault. "I'm only suggesting that Rose might be better off in the care of someone else."

"Oh yeah? Who?"

Regina was quiet for a moment before smiling brilliantly. "I'm willing to take her off your hands."

Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You?"

"What?" Emma was surprised to hear Mr. Gold say that in such a disdainful tone. She had no idea that the man was even listening.

Regina's smile turned into a smirk. "If you recall, I do have some experience with children."

"But you told me that _I_ had to take care of Rose," Emma pointed out.

"That was when I assumed you would be able to do it."

"It's not my fault she got the flu," Emma said through gritted teeth.

"Of course not, but you cannot expect to manage this case while also taking care of a small child. I will take good care of her until her grandfather is well."

Emma narrowed her eyes at Regina. "Why do you want her so badly?"

"I just want what is best for her."

"You never cared much about her before, now suddenly you want to keep an eye on her."

"You sound suspicious."

"I am," Emma replied honestly. "Rose is fine, she's getting better and I am taking care of her. I will continue to do so until Moe recovers."

"You would be able to devote more time to Kathryn's case."

"I'm giving it more than enough time," Emma replied easily. "Now is there another reason that you are here or do you have some mayoring that you have to get back to?"

Regina's eyes were dark and angry as she studied Emma's face. She was furious, no doubt about that. "I'm keeping my eye on you, Sheriff Swann, if I see any cause for neglect, I'll bring Rose to a safer home."

"Good luck with that, Madame Mayor, you won't find anything."

Emma watched the woman leave now feeling quite smug herself. It was always satisfying to win a battle with Regina, even if she was probably losing the war. She hated that woman, she really did.

"You should never let her have Rose."

She turned around to see that Mr. Gold had come up behind her. He was giving her a very serious look. "I'm not."

"She does not want her out of kindness."

"I figured that out myself." He looked ready to go back to Mary Margaret but she stopped him. "Why does she suddenly want her?"

Mr. Gold gave her a tight smile. "Oh I have an idea."

"But you won't share it."

He smiled at her again. "I have work to do Ms. Swann."

Once more Mr. Gold left Emma with more questions then answers.

* * *

Mr. Gold waited for the opportune time to plant the key in Mary Margaret's cell. After the disastrous interview with the District Attorney and the fact that the evidence continued to point in her direction, he had no doubt that Mary Margaret would be desperate enough to use it. Of course he had his own plans on how to ruin Regina's scheme, but first he had to let the bitch crow with glee.

The former queen was in her office, no doubt delighting in fantasies of finally fulfilled revenge. "Is it done?" she asked as soon as he walked through the door.

"The key is planted, tonight Mary Margaret will find her salvation and she'll flee. Once she crosses the border…well you know what will happen."

Regina smiled with delight. "Wonderful. I'm impressed, this plan appears to be flawless."

"I'm always serious with my deals," Mr. Gold reminded her coldly.

"Of course."

"And you should be too," Mr. Gold told her.

She looked up at him, a bit startled by the tone. "Just what are you suggesting?"

"Don't toy with me, your majesty. Your clever games will never fool me," he warned her seriously.

Regina gave him a smirk. "Ah but your whole life was one giant game, you so enjoyed toying with people, pulling their strings to dance for you."

"It won't work, dearie."

"What?"

"The child," Mr. Gold explained carefully, "the child is of no concern to me."

"Even though the brat belonged to that poor unfortunate girl?"

"No," he said evenly, "I do not care about her. She means nothing to me. So you can continue to pursue this but it will only make you look more like a fool because it will not give you power over me."

Regina's eyes narrowed at him. "I don't believe you."

"I never lie, dearie."

"Now that's not true," Regina replied, "you most certainly have…to me in fact."

He just shrugged. "You can continue your game but I'll warn you, your majesty, you best be certain you know all of the rules."

Mr. Gold turned on his heel to leave, eager to escape this putrid office of the queen. Oh he burned with loathing for that woman but this had been necessary. She needed to know that Rose was not the way to get to him, even if she was aware that he was lying about caring for her.

He tried not to though…he still didn't know if she was his.

* * *

A/N: Poor Mr. Gold, for once he can't lie well at all nor can he spin the truth in his classic Rumple way. Unfortunately, he'll have to struggle a bit longer before it all comes out. But that is in sight, we promise. Please tells us what you think.

Next chapter: When trying to get Mary Margaret back, Emma and Rose are kidnapped by Jefferson who knows _everything_ about Rose, including who her father is. How Belle wound up in the custody of the Queen is revealed.


	10. Daughters of Magic

Disclaimer: Is ten dollars enough to buy Once Upon A Time? No? Okay then, we don't own it.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Yay! I so wanted to get this chapter out before The Cricket Game. So sorry this took so long, the holidays swamped us with relatives and work and then when we thought we would get the time to type this out, the relatives had to extend their stay so we had no choice but to delay. But it's finally here and I think you all are going to like it.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: Ugh the holidays were INSANE but we finally have this finished and I'm excited about this. More questions are answered and we are one step closer to Emma finding everything out hehehe. Enjoy!

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**Guest:** Your update is here. I hope you like it.

**Guest:** Sorry, no Rose/Gold bonding scenes this chapter but more will be coming, I promise.

**Mia:** Thanks for reading. I hope you like this chapter too.

**giu:** You are only the twentieth person to hug Gold last chapter. The poor man got more hugs than he can deal with, LOL. Yep, Regina is pretty evil. I'm glad you liked it.

**Reviewer:** Oh Emma is well aware how this could affect Rose, one of the many reasons why she's concerned about being right here and what will happen when it all comes out. You see Belle in flashbacks in this chapter, hopefully that will count as hearing from Belle.

**kana117:** You will see how she is captured and yes, Belle will return but not for a while. We like to torture you like that. LOL, just kidding, but it will be a while because we want to deal with Emma finding Rose's father and dealing with that truth before she goes looking for her mother. You'll eventually see what gets Emma interested in finding out what happened to Alayna French.

**Guest:** The DNA test results will be coming very, very soon. That's all I can say for now.

**Guest:** Feel free to ask more questions and thanks so much for reading.

**Blueberrysuite7:** You will not. We are not going to follow every detail of the show. Alayna will return before the finale, we promise.

* * *

Chapter 10: Daughters of Magic

Emma was tired from the terrible day, not even little Rose's cute babbles was enough to put a smile on her face. The evidence against Mary Margaret seemed to be getting stronger with every passing hour, now her friend was in lockup and there seemed to be no way out of this mess. Now to top it all off, she was having to take care of Rose alone, every way she looked at it things were getting worse and worse.

But Rose remained content in her own little world, she might miss "Mawry" as she called her but at least she wasn't dwelling on what was going on. No, she was content to chew on one wing of her stuffed butterfly while her dark brown eyes remained fixed on Mr. Gold. To his credit, Emma noticed that he was watching her as well. She still had her suspicions as to why the pawnbroker was drawn to the child, but the paternity test she had sent out wasn't back yet.

Emma rounded the corner and saw her own child sitting on the bench with his book of fairy tales open in his lap. "Henry, what are you doing here?"

He quickly closed the book with a smile, "I came to congratulate you."

That was confusing, what the heck had she done right recently? "For what?"

"Your genius plan."

She was still confused but it was Mr. Gold who asked the obvious. "And what plan is that, Henry?"

Now Henry clammed up, he didn't want Mr. Gold to know about whatever it was that he was talking about. It probably had something to do with Operation Cobra and if that was the case, then she would prefer keeping Mr. Gold in the dark as well.

Mr. Gold caught on to Henry's reluctance. "Right," he said before making his way to the holding cell to talk to his client, leaving Emma alone with Henry.

Henry waited until Mr. Gold had left before saying, "Sorry, I thought Mr. Gold was in on it now that he's Ms. Blanchard's lawyer."

"In on what?"

Her son looked confused now as well. "The escape plan," he said as if it was obvious.

What escape plan? "The what?"

"Sheriff, could you join me, please." Mr. Gold said from the other room. Emma was getting a very bad feeling in her gut that said something was terribly wrong.

"Bad," Rose murmured softly, as if she was aware of it too.

Emma and Henry rounded the corner to find Mr. Gold standing by the holding cell. The empty holding cell.

Oh crap.

"She's gone," Mr. Gold said, stating the very obvious.

"Henry," Emma began, simply grasping at straws now. "What did you do?" He was the only one that seemed aware that Mary Margaret had disappeared into thin air.

"Nothing," Henry said quickly, "She was gone when I got here."

"Her arraignment is tomorrow," Mr. Gold reminded her, "if she's not there…"

"She's a fugitive," Emma finished for him. Oh she knew just how bad this all was. "Doesn't matter if she's convicted for Katherine or not, she's screwed."

No. She couldn't let that happen, she couldn't let Mary Margaret's life be destroyed for something she didn't do.

Emma turned on her heel and marched over to her desk in long strides. "I have to go find her before someone notices she's missing."

"Oh you mean Regina."

Emma ignored the pawnbroker's words. "Her arraignment is at eight AM," she said setting Rose down on the desk so she could grab her gun. "I'm sure she'll be here bright and early to celebrate her victory."

"Well you have until eight AM then," Mr. Gold told her.

"What about me?" Henry piped up, "How can I help?"

Emma picked up Rose again while grabbing her car keys. "Go home," she told her son.

"Emma," Henry said quietly, "If she leaves Storybrooke…"

But she wasn't in the mood to indulge Henry in his fantasies at the moment, "Not now, Henry. Come on."

"Ms. Swan," Mr. Gold said, interrupting her plans for the moment, "I know time is of the essence, but if Ms Blanchard isn't returned then her future is in jeopardy." He gave her a very serious look, "And if you're caught helping her, so is yours."

"I don't care," Emma said honestly, "I'd rather lose my job then my friend."

She turned around to leave again but once more his voice stopped her. "You cannot take that child with you while you search."

Emma met his eyes with a look of defiance. "Well I'm stuck with her, what would you have me do?"

He stepped forward, his eyes on Rose. "I'll take care of her," he said. His voice was soft as he reached out with one hand towards the little girl. "I can handle the little miss."

"I don't think so," Emma replied, stepping back.

"You doubt me?"

"No, I just don't trust you," Emma explained simply. "Rose is going to stay with me, she'll probably just sleep in the car anyways."

Now there was a dark look in his eyes. "If something happens to her…"

"You'll what?" Emma asked, not bothering to wait for a reply. "She's not your concern, now let me do my job." Then she turned around and rushed out to her car with little Rose looking over her shoulder.

"Gol," Rose murmured, "Gol…fown."

"Yeah," Emma agreed, opening the car door and setting Rose in her little car seat. "I guess he was."

She could think about what that all meant later. She had more important things to do.

* * *

Being a bailbonds person, Emma had done a lot of things to catch wayward criminals. Driving around in the foggy woods had never been one of them. The light rain didn't help either. Of course she didn't count Mary Margaret as a criminal either. She was just scared and confused and escape seemed like the only option. Emma understood that feeling so well.

At least Rose was fine with the ride. She was over her bout of flu, but clearly her little body was still trying to recover as she'd taken longer naps in the past few days. The periodic check in her rearview mirror shows that Rose was sleeping in her car-seat, her chin tucked into her chest.

Emma looked off into the woods with the desperate hope that she would find a shivering, damp Mary Margaret flagging her down. No luck.

It had been the wrong time to take her eyes off the road. The headlights of her Bug revealed a man walking on the side of the road, less than two feet from her tires. The man managed to stare at her car in horror before he dove out of the road, disappearing down the incline.

Emma swerved to a stop, her tires skidding over wet leaves and gravel. The combination of the squealing brakes and mind rattling jerk woke Rose up instantly and she let out a cry of protest.

Emma turned in her seat to look at her. "Shh," she said, "I'm sorry sweetie, go back to sleep, okay?"

Rose was fine, cranky, but fine. She needed to check on the man she'd very nearly made into roadkill. She leapt out of her car, still puttering on park, and ran to where he'd fallen. He was alive and standing up as she shouted out her apologies.

"Are you okay? I didn't see you."

"I think so," the man said without any rancor.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I'm not used to sharing the road with cars so late." It was a relief to see that he was okay. "You're the sheriff, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"What brings you out here in the middle of the night?"

Crap, how could she answer that. She couldn't admit that she was looking for an escaped prisoner, that would surely get back to Regina and then Mary Margaret would be screwed. But saying she felt like going for a drive at this hour, with this weather and a baby in the car certainly wouldn't work.

"Oh, nothing to worry about," she said, "I'm just looking for a lost dog." Crummy, but the best she could do.

"Well I hope you find it," he said with a smile.

"Thank you."

He started to walk away and that was when Emma noticed he was favoring his left leg, keeping the weight off of his right one. "Oh you are hurt!"

"No, I just twisted my ankle, I think. I live just a mile down the road. I'll make it okay."

She couldn't do that. He could hurt himself worse and it was all her fault anyways. "No let me drive you. I insist."

He didn't take much time to think about it. He just smiled and then shrugged. "Thank you." Before they could walk to her car, he held out his hand to shake hers. "I'm Jefferson."

"Emma."

Her car was still unlocked so he had no trouble opening the door to let himself inside. Emma slid into the driver's seat and was ready to take the car out of park, but she felt the draft of the open side door to her right. Jefferson hadn't gotten into the car.

"What's wrong?"

Jefferson was standing there, his head ducked into the car as he stared into the back where Rose sat. She thought he was confused at first, but the look on his face wasn't one of interest. He looked at her like he was seeing his own personal ghost.

Meanwhile, Rose's bitterness to being woken up was gone. She was looking back at Jefferson with that familiar expression of perusal. A look Emma thought was well beyond her tender years. She was studying him.

"That's Rose," she explained, "I'm taking care of her until her grandfather is out of the hospital."

"Right," he said, never taking his eyes off of Rose, "I'd heard about that." The smile he gave her was slow, as if it was painful for him to do. "Hello Rose."

Rose just blinked back at him. Maybe she was too tired to say anything.

Jefferson was quiet for the short trip up to his house. House probably wasn't a good word, more like a jumbo mansion. It was enormous, at least four stories. There was even a pavilion that jutted out over the front drive.

"Wow, this is your house?" Emma asked as she stepped out, "It looks more like a hotel. You must have a huge family."

"Nope. It's just me."

Now that was sad. Jefferson seemed like a nice man, it had be lonely being in that huge mansion all by himself. How did he manage to stay sane all alone like that?

She couldn't let him go inside by himself. Sure, Mary Margaret was out there, but Jefferson was the first person she'd found out here in the woods. He needed some company and she did need the help. "Hey, wait," she called after him, "Let me help you inside. It's the least I can do for nearly running you over."

Jefferson smiled, "That would be nice, thank you."

Emma scooped Rose out of her car-seat and locked the car. Rose was still being rather quiet, simply resting her head on Emma's shoulder and looking at Jefferson as she slurped on her four fingers.

He brought them to a cozy living room with a comfortable fire already going. Emma set Rose down on one portion of the cream colored L shaped couch, expecting her to go to sleep, but Rose kept looking around. "I don't know where you got your curiosity from," Emma said.

Rose murmured just a bit while Emma stared into the fire. Where would Mary Margaret go? Out of town was the obvious answer, but how could she disappear so easily like this? She wasn't a mastermind at intrigue and sin. For God sakes, Emma could pinpoint the day she'd started seeing David in secret by the lovesick smile on her face and the guilt in her eyes. She couldn't have possibly gotten this far without leaving some clue.

Jefferson reentered the living room carrying a tray with a pot of tea and some cups. "Here we go." He set the tray on the coffee table. "I thought you might want to warm up for your search. It's cold out there."

"That is kind of you, but I think I should get back to it."

"I know," he said as he pressed a cup of hot tea into her hands. "That's why I brought this." He produced a very large roll of paper that Emma had failed to see when he first came in. "I'm a bit of an amateur cartographer—mapping the area is a hobby."

Emma sipped her tea as he unfurled the map and laid it down on top of the piano. "Maybe this will help you track down your dog."

"Emmy," Rose called from the couch, "Home. Want home."

"Not yet, sweetie, we will soon," Emma promised over her cup of tea. Jefferson was right, it was nice to have something warm her up. Maybe she could ask for a cup of warm milk for Rose as well.

"Wow," she said to the map. It was very detailed and beautifully done. For an amateur he was really good. It was odd that he was into cartography, but what did she know? She once dated a guy who collected lunchboxes.

"What his name?"

She almost asked who before she remembered her lie. "Spot." Dumb name, but it worked.

He let out a chuckle. "Cute."

Emma went back to her map, sipping her tea as she studied. "Well, Route Six runs the boundary of the forest so…" she blinked at a sudden wave of fatigue. "So if I just follow that I should…" She started to sag down to the piano. "…be able to…"

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm just…feeling a little…" Emma started to fall backwards, but she felt Jefferson catch her.

"Let me help you."

"Dizzy," she said. It's true, her whole head was spinning like a merry-go-round going at a hundred miles per hour. Jefferson started to drag her to the sofa, the side unoccupied by Rose. What could it be? The stress? Something she ate earlier? Crap, had Rose given her the flu now?

"Let's just lie you down here." He set her down on the soft cushions. "There you go." Emma tried to settle herself, torn between wanting to lie down and sleep and knowing she needed to get up a go. Something was very, _very_ wrong."

"Let me get you some air."

Jefferson stared to walk out of the room and that's when Emma noticed something she'd missed before. "Your limp." It was gone.

"Oh, that," he said with a chuckle. He strode back towards her in perfect, unbroken steps. "I guess you caught me."

The white tea cup slipped from Emma's fingers and fell to the carpet. The tea. It had been laced with something. "Who are you?" she murmured out.

The creepy smile on his face was the last thing she saw before she completely blacked out.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_

What good luck on his part. Actually it wasn't luck at all. Jefferson had been spying on Regina and knew she'd planted the key in Snow White's cell. Of course Emma would go chasing after her roommate. There was only one road out of town and his house was set close to it. Of course Regina would place him in the home farthest out of the town limits. She did like to torture her 'friends' so.

"Don't worry," he promised Emma's sleeping form. "You help me and I'll help you. I promise."

He would have to tie her up. The drugs wouldn't last forever. This was done just to keep her here. She needed to be awake for her to do her job.

"Bad."

Jefferson jumped at the small voice. He'd forgotten that she hadn't come alone. The child sat on her cushions and stared at him. It wasn't the face of an innocent babe that stared back at him. She seemed to have some awareness, more than a regular child. She was very much her father's daughter.

"Bad," she said again.

"Don't look at me like that," he told her. "Stop looking at me."

Rose continued to look back at him. She had her father's eyes, he remembered her telling him that. He had to take her word for it because he'd never seen him as anything else but the odd creature he was.

But when she looked at him like that…she had the look of her mother. It cut to him straight to the bone.

"I didn't want to do it," Jefferson hissed at her, "I had no choice. I had to do it."

"Bad," Rose said again.

"Shut up! You don't understand! It was _her_! Not me! I didn't give a fig about your mother, but she wanted her to hurt him. I had nothing to do with that war."

Rose's face crumbled and she started to cry, calling out for Emma mixed watery hiccups. Jefferson had the urge to pick her up and soothe her. However, he didn't think his touch would do much good. Instead he watched her cry. It was a fitting punishment for his sins.

* * *

_Jefferson had sworn to never set foot in the Dark Palace again, but it had been a foolish vow. He had never accounted on his future perils, especially when it concerned the life of the only person that meant anything to him in this entire world. Grace._

_ And so he ignored his oath and walked through the halls to Queen Regina's receiving chamber. He'd sent a message to her to alert her of his coming. It had been months since he'd last seen her and he'd hoped then that it would be the last. Now she would be his salvation…if she was generous._

_ Two black knights guarded the room that held her within. One of them opened it for him so he knew he'd been expected. Years ago he had worn fine clothes, lived in a large house and it had been Regina and Rumplestiltskin who had come to him. But that had changed when love had found him, then tragedy only a short while after. Now he lived in a small cottage with a pitiful wardrobe and the only visitors he received were neighbors in need of flour or mushrooms. He didn't regret his circumstances, not when he had something far more precious than any material or magical things._

_ But now he was in desperate need of magic._

_ Regina was sitting on a red velvet couching stroking a coal black cat with powerful green eyes that almost seemed the glow. No doubt the cat was something more than just a pet, perhaps and old enemy or some creature she enchanted. Jefferson didn't particularly care. He'd long since learned that dabblers in dark magic liked to have their fun and he'd done his best to make sure it wasn't with him._

_ "Jefferson," she said his name in sultry, sweet tones, "I must admit, your note took me by surprise. You seemed adamant months ago that our business was concluded for good."_

_ "I meant it," he said._

_ "And yet you're here."_

_ "I need your help."_

_ "I assumed as much." Regina slid the cat off of her lap, depositing it on the floor with a scratch behind it's ears. She stood up to walk to a table where a bottle of wine and two goblets sat. "You wouldn't come here for yourself. It must be that sweet little daughter of yours. Alice?"_

_ "Grace," he said._

_ "Right." She poured the wine and then offered him one cup. It was a strong, earthy vintage, lightly spiced. A fine vintage that brought back memories of when he'd been a bachelor with only selfish desires and playing with things he didn't fully understand. _

_ "My daughter is sick."_

_ "Do I look like a doctor?" Regina sipped from her wine._

_ "She is dying. She needs magic to heal her."_

_ "Yes, I suppose she does." Regina smiled at him over her silver goblet. "Why come to me? You have other…friends from your past."_

_ Rumplestiltskin. Yes, he could save his daughter. But at what price?_

_ Regina could see his thoughts plainly. "Yes, I would fear his price too. He'd probably ask you to use that magnificent hat of yours again. I could never get that from you, no matter how much gold I offered. I wonder if it is worth your daughter's life?"_

_ "Is that what you want?" He would gladly give up the hat if it meant Grace would be healthy again._

_ Regina pursed her lips and then set the cup down. "No. I actually have something else I want from you. You do remember the girl you told me about?"_

_ "It would be hard to forget."_

_ After his wife's death, Jefferson had given away or sold all of his magical items, save a cherished few. The hat was one he feared to put into anyone else's hands. Another was the telescope. It was harmless enough and useful since it had the ability to see leagues and leagues away. While Regina used her mirrors to spy, he used his telescope and he had more success in some areas._

_ After she broke free from her teacher, Regina's growth in power and desire to usurp him had made Rumplestiltskin cover his mirrors so she'd been blind. Not Jefferson. He could see through all of the windows in the Dark Castle, save the laboratory tower where the magic kept clouding his view. That was how he had known the imp had acquired a knight's daughter to be his servant._

_ It wasn't supposed to turn out the way it did. He had sent Regina the note about the girl, Belle, because he had been curious himself and thought she would know. Instead he had inadvertently become her spy. She had paid him to look through the telescope and tell her everything he saw._

_ At first there had been pathetically little, just Rumplestiltskin making mischief but the girl had a strong spine and she'd held her own. And then everything had changed. The imp grew softer, Belle got sweeter in his presence and Regina had finally found a weakness in her former master._

_ Never had Jefferson dreamed that Rumplestiltskin could love anyone. Even more, that a woman could ever love him. But that is what happened. And when Regina had meddled—as she was bound to do—Belle had been cast out of the Dark Castle in tears. It was her poor, broken heart that had made him vow to never speak to Regina again. Years ago he might have found some amusement in all of this, but not anymore._

_ What more could Regina do to the poor girl?_

_ "I want you to find her and bring her to me."_

_ Jefferson gave her a puzzled look. "Why haven't you done this yourself?"_

_ "I can't find her."_

_ He couldn't help but laugh. "What? Are your mirrors broken?"_

_ "Don't laugh at me," she threatened. He forced his smile away but the amusement was still there. "Obviously Rumple must be protecting her somehow."_

_ "He threw her out believing her your spy. I doubt he would lift a finger for her."_

_ "Don't underestimate love, it makes even monsters utter fools." She shrugged one shoulder. "Surely your telescope can find her. Bring her to me and I will give you the potion to heal your Grace."_

_ "I don't have your powers," Jefferson reminded her, "When I fetch her, I will have to go on foot and it could take time."_

_ "I will make sure your daughter lives until you return, she will get no worse."_

Nor better,_ he thought, but it would do. "What will you do to the girl?"_

_ It was a question he shouldn't have asked and one he knew Regina wouldn't answer, at least not entirely. She gave him her most wicked smile, her dark eyes gleaming at her plan. "Does it truly matter to you? But if you must know, I won't kill her."_

_ The words she didn't say were: not yet._

* * *

Emma came to slowly but it only took her a second to remember what had happened. She'd been looking for Mary Margaret when she'd almost hit a man named Jefferson. He'd taken her to his home where she'd been drugged. Oddly enough, this wasn't the worst situation she'd been in.

She quickly realized that she was gagged and tied up but still lying on his white couch. Emma looked down at the white teacup that doomed her to her fate with loathing before realizing that it might be used to her advantage. She dropped the red pillow onto the cup and smashed it with her feet, hearing the satisfying crunch of breaking glass. It was now a simple matter to hop onto the floor and used the shards of the teacup to cut the ties at her wrist.

Once the tape was cut she was able to get up and search for an escape route…except she had no idea where Rose was. A quick scan around the room confirmed that the toddler was nowhere in sight. Panic flooded her system; she had no idea who this Jefferson is and what he might do with a little girl. Oh God!

Emma did a more thorough search around the place, clinging the vain hope that maybe Rose was hiding underneath a couch or something and she'd fallen asleep. No, she wasn't around. The only thing she did find was a telescope that was pointed in the direction of the sheriff's station…had Jefferson been spying on her?

That didn't matter at the moment though. She needed to find Rose and get out of there. Emma made her way over to one white door and peaked inside. She felt a chill run through her when she saw that Jefferson was standing in the middle of the room…and sharpening a pair of scissors.

Emma carefully slipped past him so she could creep down the hallway. She opened one door but found nothing but a room filled with sheeted furniture. No Rose. She crept a few more feet until she found another door and slipped inside.

Only to hear a muffled voice say her name.

She turned around to find Mary Margaret in a similar predicament she'd been in, tied to a chair. Mary Margaret looked at her tearfully and with more than a little bit of fear.

"What is going on?" Emma wondered aloud as she rushed over to untie her friend.

"Emma, thank God," Mary Margaret gasped as soon as her mouth was free.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, still untying Mary Margaret's bounds.

"I was in the woods, trying to get away," she whispered, "Then this man appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me. Why are you here?"

"I've been trying to find you. You escaped, remember? How did you get out?"

"There was a key… In my cell, under my pillow. Someone put it there."

That was news to Emma, how could that have happened. "Who?"

"I don't know," Mary Margaret admitted, "I'd like to know just as much as you."

"We need to get out of here," Emma declared, "But we have to find Rose first."

"Rose is here?"

"I took her with me to find you," Emma explained, "she has to be in this house somewhere, she can't be far."

They both crept out of the room, checking to see if the madman was still around. But the coast was clear so they headed into the hallway. But then they turned around to the sound of a clicking gun.

"I see you found Spot," Jefferson said, his voice tinged with madness.

Emma swallowed her fear and decided to lie boldly. "I already called for backup, they'll be here any second."

"You haven't called anybody. For the same reason you didn't tell me about her. You don't want anybody to know you're here, which means, nobody does. So, now tie her back up." He said the last bit casually, as if asking her to shut the front door.

But he had a gun…and they didn't have a choice.

Emma led Mary Margaret back into the room under Jefferson's watchful gaze and soberly began to retie her friend to the chair. Mary Margaret stared at her friend helplessly. "Emma," she whispered before Emma reapplied the gag.

"It's going to be okay," she promised, even though she had no idea if that were really true. Then she stood up to fix a glare on Jefferson. "Your telescope, you've been watching me. Why?"

"I need you to do something."

Jefferson grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room and down the hallway. She didn't know where he was taking her, maybe to her death or his secret murder room. But then he opened a door and shoved inside to a room full of…hats?

And Rose.

Rose was lying on the floor inside a makeshift pen made of overturned tables and chairs. She was curled up asleep, her thumb in her mouth. Emma rushed over to make sure she was really all right but Jefferson pulled her back. "Not yet."

"What have you done to her?" Emma asked harshly.

"Nothing," he told her calmly.

"If you hurt her…"

"Hurt her? Why would I do that?"

She gave him a look. "Because you're psychotic?"

"Well we are all a little mad aren't we?"

Emma took a step forward and looked him in the eye. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but if you hurt Rose or my friend, I swear I'll make you regret it."

"Hurt them?" Jefferson asked again. "I'm saving their lives."

"What?"

"Don't play stupid. We both know what happens when people try to leave Storybrooke."

Emma had no idea what this man was talking about, unless he meant people finally left this New England version of Mayberry. "What are you talking about?"

Jefferson just looked at her as if it was obvious as he backed her up. "The curse."

Now she stopped in her tracks. "What curse?"

"The one keeping us all trapped," then a quick flash of jealously sparkled in his eyes. "All except you."

This sounded familiar. "Have you been reading Henry's book?"

He looked confused. "Henry? You mean the queen's father?"

"Henry, the mayor's adopted kid."

"Oh Henry, _your_ Henry." He smiled a little. "And his book of stories. The ones that you choose to ignore. Maybe, if you knew what I know, you wouldn't."

She didn't like the sound of that…there was a lot she didn't like right now. "Why have you been spying on me?"

He stepped aside and even briefly pointed the gun at her…before walking towards where Rose was peacefully sleeping. "Because, for the last twenty-eight years, I've been stuck in this house. Day after day, always the same."

Jefferson stopped and pointed the gut at her again. "Until one night, _you_, in your little yellow bug, roll into town, and the clock ticks, and things start to change." He pointed at Rose as if she was an example of this _change_. Then he looked back up at her with a somber gaze. "You see… I know what you refuse to acknowledge, Emma. You're special. You brought something precious to Storybrooke – magic."

With that final word Emma felt a rush of sadness for this man…and for herself. "You're insane," she told him calmly.

He gave her a small smile, as if he'd been expecting that answer. "Because I speak the truth?"

"Because you're talking about magic."

Jefferson shook his head. "I'm talking about what I've seen. Perhaps you're the one that's mad."

That was an interesting leap. "Really?"

He stepped closer to her now. "What's crazier than seeing and not believing? Because that's exactly what you've been doing since you got to our little hamlet." He stepped right up to her and spoke, calmly, earnestly. "Open your eyes. Look around. Wake up. Isn't it about time?"

This wasn't working; he was too far gone to be reasoned with. She was going to have to go along with him until she could figure out a way to get Mary Margaret and Rose out of here. "What do want?"

"I want you to get it to work."

It? What was _it_? Hopefully nothing attached to his person…

Before she could ask he grabbed her neck roughly and shoved her into a chair she'd forgotten was there. In front of her was a table full of sewing supplies. None of this made sense!

"You want me to get what to work?"

Then she saw the hat resting in front of her.

Jefferson leaned down and whispered in her ear, all the while staring at the hat longingly. "You're the only one that can do this. You're going to get it to work."

How?

* * *

_Finding the girl wasn't as easy as he'd hoped._

_ His telescope had failed him. He'd scoured the rooms of Sir Maurice's castle and found her no where inside of it's walls. He'd even spied into the Dark Castle to see if Rumplestiltskin had reacquired her, but the imp was spinning alone, still melancholy despite the months since he'd thrown her outside of his gates. Love was a wound not easily healed._

_ Time was slipping by so Jefferson had to change his methods. He used his telescope to spy on Sir Maurice. The man did little out of the ordinary at first, but he did catch him riding out of his castle alone into the woods a few miles. The telescope went black of it's own accord, but not before he saw a thin column of smoke inside the trees. It was a pitiful lead, but the best he had._

_ Regina was generous in giving him a fine horse and some provisions for his journey. She offered her black carriage but he turned it down. He didn't like the look of that thing, more like a funeral cart than a carriage._

_ He followed the roads into King George's kingdom, passing Sir Maurice's little town to venture into the unpathed forest. He had marked on his map where he'd seen the smoke but that meant little in the untamed woods. He had to rely on luck and his wits._

_ There was a good sized creek that he chose to follow. It served both him and his horse water as well as a path. The sun was up in the middle of the sky when he found the remains of hoof beaten brush and leaves. He could only hope this was the path worn by Maurice._

_ A few miles in the forest, the trees opened to reveal a clearing full of yellow and purple wildflowers. Stuck in the middle was a squat little cottage with a well thatched roof and sturdy stone walls. It could have the been the home of a woodsman or gameskeeper, but it was well tended. A vine of roses that grew along the south wall added a woman's touch that no man of the woods would have deigned to have._

_ Jefferson tossed his food into the woods, hid his fine trappings and his coat. He wanted to look as beggarly as possible when he knocked on the wooden door._

_ The curtain stirred in the window, but all he saw was a slim, white hand. There was a scraping sound before the door opened a crack. Belle stuck her pretty head out."Hello."_

_ With a smile like that, it was easy to see how the beauty had stolen the heart of Rumplestiltskin. It was more than her loveliness, she was light and warmth herself. A man could be lost in those sky blues and never find his way out again._

_ "Hello," he said softly, "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I am in desperate need of food if you can spare it."_

_ She blinked at him, her teeth capturing her bottom lip. "My father fears for me to let in strangers." He watched as she took in his weathered clothes, tangled hair and weary face. She was too kind to turn him away. Her weakness._

_ "Come in, I can't let you starve." She opened the door to let him pass._

_ "Thank you, my lady."_

_ She really was a small girl, but beautiful. Her skin was creamy and smooth, her lashes long a dark. She wore a yellow dress the color of buttercups with blue flowers embroidered on it. A blue, teardrop crystal hung at her throat. Puzzling since he couldn't fathom where she'd gotten that._

_ The cottage was tidy and very cozy. It was one room, like his at home but larger and much warmer. Curtains hung on the glass windows and a portly black stove rested beside a wide kitchen table. She clearly had a passion for flowers because she had two vases filled with wildflowers. Another single vase held one dried rose, set up on a table. That table stood next to a cradle._

_ Jefferson froze at the first whimper that came from that lovely, carved cradle. It rocked gently as it was stirred by it's occupant inside. "Sorry," Belle apologized as she walked to the bed. "There is some bread and cheese on the table. Help yourself."_

_ He didn't move._

_ He watched as she bent down and plucked a baby from the cradle and placed it on her breast. The child hushed immediately. Belle hummed and rocked the baby—her baby—with a mother's tender love. His own wife had done the same with Grace._

_ "You—you have a…child."_

_ "Yes, this is Rose." She walked over towards him, tilting the child so he could have a better look. "Rose this is…I'm sorry, I never got your name."_

_ "Jefferson." His mind was too addled to create a fake identity._

_ Rose blinked at him with large brown eyes. Her face was plump and pink with her infant flesh and a good crop of curly brown hair topped her soft head. She didn't have gold flecked skin or red eyes, but he could see parts of the imp in her: her long fingers and high cheekbones. But it was the eyes that gave her away._

_ Her father didn't really have the red, yellow eyes of the Dark One. Jefferson had watched in his telescope as Belle's pure kiss had begun to eat away at the curse. He'd seen Rumplestiltskin's real eyes. Brown and rich with a bit of gold._

_ A child. She had a child. A daughter younger than his Grace. By the gods, how had this happened? What was he to do now?_

_ Jefferson ate the food she offered because he had to continue the charade, but it stuck in his throat as he swallowed. He watched as she tended the child. Rose was still young in life, doing little more than babble sweetly and tug at her mother's curls._

_ Belle asked him questions as he ate. How long had he traveled? Where was he from? Did he need work or shelter for a while? He answered them as best he could, but they were weak. His mind was still in shock._

_ "Are you all right?" she asked with genuine concern._

_ "Yes, I'm just…confused," he admitted, "I never thought to find a woman and her child alone in these woods. Is your husband near by."_

_ Belle looked down at her table. "I have no husband."_

_ She expected him to condemn her, he saw that. But he had no reason to judge her for any crime when he had committed far worse. "I understand and I am not one to judge."_

_ "That's kind of you," she said. Oh if only she knew._

_ "Did he abandon you both?"_

_ "Oh no," Belle said as she stoked her daughter's head, "Not really. It's…a strange story. I doubt you would have time to hear it."_

_ He gave her a warm smile. "I would welcome it."_

_ And so she told him the story he already knew, one he'd seen through the lens of his telescope. It was still fresh to hear her side of the tale. She was careful to never refer to Rumplestiltskin by name, but she spoke of him gently and her eyes were heavy with longing. She missed her beast._

_ "A sad tale." He meant it._

_ "Not entirely," she said and kissed Rose's head, "He gave me her and one day I will be with him again. When the time is right, I will find him and we will be a family."_

_ No, they wouldn't. Regina would never allow it._

_ He stared at the child wrapped in her mother's loving arms, the mother he meant to steal away. The food he'd just consumed threatened to make a return._

_ "Excuse me, but I must see to my horse," he said._

_ "All right," Belle said, "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."_

_ Jefferson hurried out the door to his borrowed horse. He rifled inside the saddlebag until he found the small mirror Regina had given him. "I know you're watching."_

_ A green glow appeared in the glass before the queen smiled back at him with blood red lips. "Were you successful, Jefferson? Did you find her?"_

_ "Don't make me do this."_

_ Regina glowered at him. "Not you too, Jefferson. Does this girl have so much power that she turns every man into mush at first sight? I thought you were stronger than that."_

_ "She hasn't done anything wrong," he said._

_ "Loving a feral creature like the Dark One isn't what I would say is right. Honestly, she's probably mad anyways. You'd be doing the land a service."_

_ She was lying. Belle wasn't insane just like Rumplestiltskin wasn't feral…at least not completely. There was a method to his madness though Jefferson had never deduced what it was._

_ "Please," he begged, "She has nothing for you, no prestige, no power—."_

_ "You're wrong. She has a great power. She has power over _him_." Regina's dark eyes flashed at him coldly. "I've waited years to find his weakness and it's her. You will take her Jefferson. You will bring her to me or I swear when you get home all that will be there to greet you is your daughter's corpse."_

_ Grace. She was still ill. Regina's magic was keeping her from getting worse, but if she broke her spell then Grace would die. He couldn't lose her, not his daughter._

_ Regina's face faded away when she knew she'd beaten him. He had no choice._

_ He loathed every step he took back towards the cottage. Belle smiled at him from a rocking chair as he walked in. She must had fed Rose while he was out because a cloth rested on her shoulder, but the child dozed peacefully in her arms. "Do you need more food?" she asked._

_ "No." He stopped before her, cursing Regina in his head. "Actually…I have a confession to make. I'm not a humble traveler. I've actually been looking for you."_

_ Belle stood up from her chair, clutching her daughter tightly to her chest. "Why?"_

_ "I know the child's father."_

_ She blinked at him with her large blue eyes. "You do? You know him?"_

_ "Rumplestiltskin and I were business partners once," Jefferson said. He would have to give her the blackest of lies soon, a bit of truth would barely touch his conscience, but he couldn't bear to dishonor her more. "He helped me greatly and I never bore him any ill will."_

_ Belle relaxed just a bit and her suspicious eyes turned into a curious gaze. "Why are you telling me this?"_

_ "Because I've seen him recently and believe me when I tell you he is utterly miserable now. I could scarcely believe it myself when I learned he suffered from a broken heart."_

_ "A broken heart," she repeated with a gasp._

_ He nodded. "Yes. He aches for you, Belle. You must come with me. You must go to him. I fear something terrible will happen if you don't."_

_ "You don't think he'd…die?" she could barely utter the last word._

_ "Few men can live with a broken heart. I'm not sure he's strong enough."_

_ Tears spilled from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. One hand reached up to touch the crystal at her throat. "The Blue Fairy. She said she would come for me when he was ready to believe, when we could be together."_

_ So the crystal was gifted to her by the fairy. No wonder Regina couldn't find her and his telescope had failed him. Belle was protected by magic to keep her from the prying eyes of Rumplestiltskin's enemies._

_ "The Blue Fairy is a wondrous being," he said, "but she has many who call upon her and little time to tend to many great matters. Believe me when I say that the time is now. You must go to him."_

_ Her love was so strong, there was no need for more persuasion. Belle eagerly nodded her head. "Yes. Yes, we'll go. I can't bear to be apart from him any longer." Her eyes were alight with joy as she said, "Just let me gather mine and Rose's things—."_

_ "No!" he shouted, startling her, "I mean, the way is too rough for a baby. Is there someone here who can care for her?"_

_ "You want me to leave her behind?" She spoke the words painfully._

_ He nodded once. "It won't be for long. Rumplestiltskin will surely magic you both here when you tell him about his daughter. It would be best for her if she remained. You know where his castle sits and the way is treacherous without magic."_

_ She hesitated but then nodded once. "Yes…you're right. I will ask Flora to care for her."_

_ He didn't know who Flora was, but it didn't matter. Belle placed her daughter in her cradle and kissed her head. "My little Rose," she said tearfully._

_ She untied the crystal from her throat and hung it over the crib. "This will protect you until I return with your father. I promise I won't be gone for long."_

_ Jefferson knew that was a promise she would fail to keep._

* * *

Emma struggled with the small scissors and unfamiliar tools, she had never made a hat in her life, she'd flunked home economics in high school for God's sake. But Jefferson didn't seem to have a problem with that, he did offer some help when he saw that she was making a massacre of the hat but he insisted that she continued. She was beginning to feel like she was locked in the movie _Misery_ except she was having to make a hat instead of write a book.

Rose was awake now and sitting quietly off to the side, Jefferson had at least been smart enough to block off a spot in the room away from the sharp implements. Emma glanced up at her often, making sure she was all right and trying to figure out a way to get her and Mary Margaret out of here.

"I don't even know what I'm doing," Emma told him.

"You'll do it," Jefferson told her harshly.

She looked over at Rose who was sitting quietly in her makeshift pen, her big brown eyes fixed on Emma. "Emmy," she murmured, "Emmy come."

Emma was ready to rise and go over and see her but Jefferson put a firm hand on her shoulder. "You stay and keep working."

"This is ridiculous!" Emma declared, "Just because I make a hat doesn't mean it will have magic!"

"It will work," Jefferson replied sternly, "it is the only way."

"Emmy," Rose murmured again softly.

"Just let me see Rose."

"She's fine," Jefferson said.

Rose sat up in her enclosed space and turned her eyes to the hats lining the wall behind Emma and then to Jefferson's crazy gaze. "Hat!" Rose cried out and pointed with her pudgy little finger, "Hat! Maw-gic hat!"

Emma looked over and saw Jefferson's hard edge falter; now he stared at the child with a look of surprise. He walked over so that he stood over Rose, looking at her quizzically as if she would hold answers he sought. "What are you seeing?" he asked her; even though there was no way she could answer.

Rose looked up at him and held up her arms. "Hat!"

Jefferson's eyes widened and a slow smile spread across his face. "Of course," his voice was low but there was triumph in his words. "Your father made the curse, which means you can see through it."

Emma didn't care much for Jefferson's theory about the curse; she was more intrigued by the other statement in his words. "Her father…you know who her father is?"

"Of course I do."

"Who is he?"

Jefferson stood up straight and met her eyes once more. "Rumplestiltskin." Emma's heart sank, so it was just another one of his delusions. The man leaned back over to look at Rose as if she were an enigma. "You see beyond the veil of the curse but you are too young to understand it."

Emma rose a little bit out of her seat, keeping a wary eye on Jefferson. "Don't hurt her."

"I wouldn't," Jefferson replied and looked up at Emma. "I owe her a debt."

Now that was confusing, but what wasn't with this man? "What kind of debt?"

Jefferson's gaze fell back on the child and a look of pure guilt washed over him. "It is my fault that her mother is gone."

Emma tried to keep her shock and horror in check as she began to think about what all of this meant. "Did you kidnap her too?"

"Yes."

Now her heart pounded in her chest. If he'd kidnapped Alayna what if he'd…killed her? What did that mean for them? Or maybe she was still alive, here somewhere, trapped in this psychopath's house! "Where is she? Is she _here_?"

Jefferson let out a low laugh. "I didn't kidnap her _here_, in _this _world. It was there, in my home, where we really belong."

Emma relaxed a fraction, so it was still a part of his fantasies. Jefferson hadn't kidnapped her at all.

But the man who thought he was the Mad Hatter wasn't paying attention; he was looking at little Rose once more. "She wanted to know his weakness, she wanted to know what he was hiding…so she asked me to spy on them."

It might be crazy but Emma was a little curious. "Who?"

"The queen," Jefferson replied, not looking at her at all. Instead he reached out with one hand to touch one of Rose's curls. "I watched. I watched them together; I saw her fall in love with him…that monster. And I told her what I saw." His voice grew grave now. "I watched as the queen tricked her, I watched as she went back to him and when true love's kiss almost worked…and then watched when he rejected everything she could offer him."

He knelt down now so he was eye level with Rose and took one of her little hands. "I watched when he turned her out…not knowing she was carrying his child. She bore that child in secret, away from the prying eyes of the world." Now Jefferson looked up at Emma. "And then the queen came to me. She wanted to twist the knife even deeper, she wanted him to feel the pain she feels…and she wanted leverage in case she needed it one day. She asked me to do one thing…and I did."

Emma stared at him, completely transfixed by the story he was telling. It was crazy, unbelievable and she knew it wasn't true…but it was also the most powerful thing she'd heard. "You took her."

"I did," Jefferson said very softly, "I tricked her and gave her to the queen." Then a very soft smile came over his face, a proud smile and he gently touched Rose's hair again. "But I didn't tell her about the child. I did that much good at least."

He was still stroking Rose's head. "A daughter of magic, born from true love." He looked back up at Emma. "Just like you. You both have more power than you realize."

"If you don't have her mother…then where is she?"

He smiled his mad smile again. "You'll have to ask the queen." He stood up and walked back over to Emma's worktable and glowered at her. "Now, finish making my hat."

Emma looked over at Rose who was quietly watching what was happening, looking into those brown eyes who were fixed on her it was almost believable…almost.

* * *

_It was still a struggle convincing Belle to leave her child behind. Flora, a large woman with gray hair and grey eyes, clucked over Rose and assured Belle that the child would be fine while she was gone. Belle's excuse for leaving was a simple venture to the neighboring town, but the woman didn't ask any questions. In the end it was the fear that her one true love would die that gave Belle the strength to leave Rose._

_ Jefferson watched as she cried, her tears not ceasing for several hours. It made him hate himself more. He focused on Grace, on seeing her smile and hearing her say "Papa" again. She would be well. Once Belle was delivered to the Queen, his daughter would be all right._

_ "How long do you think it will take to reach the Dark Castle?" she asked once all of her tears were gone._

_ "Not long."_

_ "Please, tell me how he is. You said he was miserable and I…I'm afraid for him."_

_ "He spins," Jefferson said, "and does little else." That was true. Whenever he'd looked at Rumplestiltskin in his telescope the imp had been at his wheel. _To forget,_ he thought. That was what he'd told Belle, he spun to forget. Right now that was her._

_ "Oh I must go to him. I must tell him everything," she said._

_ "Sorry, dear, but that's not in _my_ plans."_

_ Regina's silky voice came out of nowhere. Her words were the cue for a dozen black knights to leap out of the bushes with their swords drawn and pointed at Belle. She whirled around, but saw no escape._

_ The Queen appeared before them with a puff of black smoke. She wore all black again, this time it was a riding habit with a tiny black hat and veil on her dark locks. The only color she had was her red lips and they were curled up into a wicked smile. "Hello, Belle, isn't it? We never were formally introduced before."_

_ "I know who you are," Belle hissed, "You're the Queen."_

_ "I am, but I prefer being called 'your majesty'."_

_ Belle shook her pretty head. "How can you be so cruel?"_

_ "I learned it from him."_

_ "I only wanted him to be happy," Belle said, "You tricked me. You tricked him into thinking I was working with you."_

_ "Truly, I never thought he would be so gullible," Regina laughed, "I suppose that heart of his you found is a weak one. He should have rid himself of it a long time ago."_

_ Jefferson was in awe of the young girl as she stepped towards the wicked Queen. "You can't keep us apart forever. I will never give up. I will always fight for him, no matter what you do. We will find one another."_

_ "Oh, how sweet," she said mockingly, "But how will you find one another if he finds out you're dead?"_

_ Belle gaped at her with horror for a moment. Then she opened her mouth to shout, "Rumple—!"_

_ Regina pointed and the name died on Belle's tongue. Had she finished, he surely would have come and found them there in that forest. But now Belle was mute. He would never know._

_ Regina finally turned her attention to Jefferson. "Thank you, Jefferson, you played your part very well."_

_ "What are you going to do to her?"_

_ "Nothing that concerns you." Regina waved him off, "She'll live. I have bigger plans for her than her death."_

_ That was a relief, in a way. Whatever fate was planned was surely worse than death._

_ "Where was she hiding all of this time? I'm curious to how she managed to allude me for so long."_

_ "She was in a cottage in the woods outside of her father's castle…alone." He stared at Belle as he finished the last word. "I believe her father shunned her because of her association with the imp."_

_ "Well," Regina said with amusement, "What terrible luck for you, dear. Don't worry, I have a place at home for you."_

_ She was unable to speak, but Belle could still see. She stared back at Jefferson but not with anger or resentment. She looked…grateful. Rose was still at her home and Regina had no idea that there were _two_ things in this world that could bring down her former master._

_ "And Jefferson," Regina said with a smile, "I will keep my word. When you get home, your daughter will be as healthy as ever. Thank you again."_

_ He didn't say anything in reply. He watched as two black horses pulled out a caged cart and Belle was stuffed inside. Regina's stallion stood beside it. She and her knights climbed on their horses as they dragged Belle away. Only Regina knew what would happen to her next._

_ Jefferson stood before the ruts carved into the muddy earth by the cart. The guilt was already burning inside of him._

_ He had options. He could go to Rumplestiltskin now and explain everything. The Dark One was the only one who had the power to free her now and then Belle could have just what she wanted: the three of them to be a family._

_ But Rumplestiltskin was many things and understanding wasn't one of them. If Jefferson was lucky, he would be turned into something unpleasant for his part in this charade. It was more likely that he would wind up dead._

_ Grace was waiting for him at home. What would become of her if he didn't return?_

_ So, Jefferson sucked in a deep breath and climbed back on his horse, turning it in the direction of his small hovel. He daughter was waiting for him. It was best to not think of the poor baby who was also waiting, and would have to wait for a very long time._

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_

_ Maurice's thinning hair likely turned even more grey as he paced the length of his private chambers. Rose sobbed in her cradle, her face red and wet from her tears. Flora had brought her when Belle had failed to return after two days. He'd hired a wet nurse, but Rose still cried. She didn't need milk, she needed her mother._

_ He breathed a sigh of relief when a familiar blue glow came in from the window. The Blue Fairy flitted over to hover before his face. "Sir Maurice, you do not look well. What has happened?"_

_ "It's Belle," he said, "She's gone."_

_ "Gone?"_

_ Rose's cries increased, stealing the attention of her grandfather and the fairy. The Blue Fairy flew over to her cradle. She landed on the edge and smiled at the baby. "Hush now, sweet child, you have nothing to fear."_

_ Rose stopped crying. She looked back at the tiny lady with elegant blue wings. She could sense magic, that was what the Blue Fairy said when she was still in her mother's womb. Maurice could believe it as she studied the fairy._

_ "What happened to her mother?"_

_ "I don't know," he admitted, "Flora said she was going to the neighboring town, but she never came back."_

_ The Fairy shook her head. "Belle didn't go to town. She would never leave her child like this, not unless she had no choice."_

_ "I knew it," Maurice hissed. "He came for her. Rumplestiltskin has taken her again."_

_ "No, had it been him then he would have come for Rose as well, I'm certain of it. Children are quite precious to him."_

_ The Blue Fairy gave him a solemn look. "It must have been the Queen. She has taken Belle back to her castle to use against Rumplestiltskin."_

_ "My daughter," he spoke mournfully again, "My daughter." He'd spoken those same two words over and over again for those long months when Belle had been taken from him by the Dark One. _

_ Tears filled his blue eyes. "What will she do to her?"_

_ "I don't know," The Blue Fairy admitted._

_ "Please, can you free her?"_

_ She shook her head sadly. "No. Regina's magic keeps my kind out. I cannot rescue your daughter."_

_ "Then I will gather my men and—."_

_ "No," she broke in gently, holding up one small hand, "She is too powerful, you and your men would never be able to breach her castle. Even if you could, she would kill Belle before you could free her. I'm sorry, Sir Maurice, but there is nothing you can do."_

_ "But… she's my daughter."_

_ "I know and my heart aches for her, but attacking Regina would do no good. I'm afraid we have no choice but to wait."_

_ "Wait for what?" Maurice asked._

_ "Until Regina loses her power, when she can be defeated. Her time will come and sooner than you might think."_

_ The Blue Fairy flitted back to Rose's cradle. She'd fallen asleep now, her dark lashes resting on her pink cheeks. "Until then, you must keep Rose safe. Tell no one about her mother or her father."_

_ "I don't give a damn about Rumplestiltskin!" Maurice shouted. "He took my daughter from me! He ruined her! If it hadn't been for him, none of this would have happened."_

_ The fairy held up her hand. "I know you're concerned and it is easy to place the blame at Rumplestiltskin's feet, but remember that he loves your daughter."_

_ "That monster couldn't love anyone."_

_ "But he does," she insisted, "And if the Queen were to learn that he has a child she will use Rose against him, just like she surely will with Belle. You must protect her, Maurice. She has no one else."_

_ He placed one hand on his granddaughter's crib, drinking in her sleeping face. She had no one else. They were all they had._

_ "I shall," he promised. The Blue Fairy nodded once and then faded from sight. She couldn't do anything more there._

_ Maurice reached down and scooped up Rose from her crib. She let out a whimper, but didn't open her eyes. She buried her face into the soft velvet of his doublet._

_ "I will never let him take you," he vowed to the babe, "I will find your mother and make sure he never takes you both away again. Rumplestiltskin will never know you are his child."_

* * *

It had been a crazy night and the only person that had actually gotten any sleep was Rose. It had taken quite a bit of cunning and luck for Emma to overcome the crazy man, but with a little ingenuity and Mary Margaret's surprising skills, they had managed to push him out the window and escape. They'd barely made it in time to replace Mary Margaret back into her cell.

Now Emma wanted to find a bed but she also knew that wasn't such a good idea. And there was one other person she needed to tell.

Henry was sitting at a picnic table outside of the school. Rose was clearly interested in the all of the kids around the area, pointing at everything in her path. Well she was the one who was bright eyed at the moment.

"Henry," Emma said, sidling up to him, "Well…I found Mary Margaret." She took a seat, letting herself feel the exhaustion. Rose was happy to sit on her lap.

"How is she?"

"She's okay," Emma explained, "other than being on trial for murder, she's fine."

They both were quiet as they felt the sadness of that moment, of knowing that someone they both cared about was in trouble. Rose was oblivious to the pain, she pointed at a group of kids. "Hat! Girl! Hat!"

"Hi, Henry," a very pretty young girl about Henry's age stopped in her tracks and smiled at him. And sure enough, she was wearing a grey hat. She was also the girl that Jefferson claimed was his daughter.

Henry smiled at her as she walked away while Emma stared at the girl. "Who is that?"

"Her name is Paige," Henry told her simply, "she goes to school with me."

_ "__Her name is Grace. Here, it's Paige. But it's Grace. My Grace"_

"Henry, do you have your storybook with you? Can I see it?"

"Yeah, why?" Henry asked, he was obviously surprised since she never actually asked to see the book.

"I'm just curious about something," Emma said she watched Paige continue into the school. Henry gave her the book and Emma set Rose down beside her so she could open it up in her lap. She flipped through the book until she found the pages that talked about the Mad Hatter in Wonderland.

And there it was. He had a daughter, was tricked by the evil queen and went mad in Wonderland trying to find a way back home.

Just like he'd said.

"Hat!" Rose said, pointing at the book.

"What? What is it?" Henry asked, sneaking a peek.

Emma could only stare at the picture for a moment. "Nothing," she finally managed to speak.

But she couldn't stop staring at the picture of the man who looked so much like Jefferson…the man who said he was the Mad Hatter.

"Emma? Emma?" Henry pulled her out of her thoughts just as the bell rang. "I've got to go." He quickly began to gather his things.

"Right," Emma said but she didn't want to let go of the book. "Can I hold onto this?"

A look of surprise and then joy lit up Henry's face. "Absolutely," he said, clearly thinking that she was beginning to believe his theory. She wasn't…it was just so weird…

She watched him head off into the school and then looked back down at the page in front of her. It was so strange…just like he said.

"Hat!" Rose piped in again, batting her pudgy little hand at the picture of the Mad Hatter.

_"Hat!" Rose cried out and pointed with her pudgy little finger, "Hat! Maw-gic hat!"_

_ Emma looked over and saw Jefferson's hard edge falter; now he stared at the child with a look of surprise. He walked over so that he stood over Rose, looking at her quizzically as if she would hold answers he sought. "What are you seeing?" he asked her; even though there was no way she could answer._

_ Rose looked up at him and held up her arms. "Hat!"_

He said that he knew her father, Rumplestiltskin, and that she could see through the curse.

And Henry thought that her parents were Belle and the beast from _Beauty and the Beast_.

Emma flipped through the book until she found the familiar tale of the brave young girl who tamed a beast…except in this story the beast turned her out. She stopped at the image of Belle falling into the Beast's arms, noting that she did look kind of like Alayna but the drawing made it difficult to judge.

"Momma!" Rose said, pointing to the picture, "Momma!"

She eyed the kid and shook her head. Well if she was crazy she would actually start to believe this. If she did…then one of them was wrong because Henry said that Rose's father was the beast but Jefferson said it was Rumplestiltskin. He couldn't be both.

Emma looked at the picture again, noting that there was something strange in the background amid the tables and tapestries it looked like…a spinning wheel?

Rumplestilkskin spun straw into gold for the miller's daughter; she vaguely remembered that from her childhood books on fairytales.

But he was never the beast.

Emma closed the book with a groan shaking her head again. No, this was crazy. Rose's father was a living man, probably the monster that currently owned half of the town.

Still she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that something just wasn't right at all…the same feeling she'd had since she'd entered this town.

* * *

A/N: So that is how Jefferson knew about Belle and how she managed to wind up in the hands of the Queen. Don't worry, this won't be the last time we'll see Jefferson in this story. Please review and tell us what you think.

Next chapter: Mary Margaret is freed and Mr. Gold begins to suspect August is his long lost son, even going so far as to confess to some secrets he'd been keeping. Meanwhile, Regina decides to get some revenge on Gold for tricking her and knows just where to strike.


	11. When First We Practice to Deceive

Disclaimer: No where near enough money in our combined accounts to own Once Upon A Time. So nope, none of it ours save for dear little Rose and we're keeping her.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Well, after that doozy of an episode (I hope Rumple sticks that hook up Hook's ass and pulls out his small intestines) I'm glad we finished this chapter so you all can enjoy it. It's rather appropriate that this chapter happen now since the episode ending with Gold in an emotional state and this one is full of the same thing. I hope you all enjoy it, especially since it leads straight into the chapter you all have been waiting for.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: People are getting anxious and so are we. We are *this* close to getting to the part everyone is anxious for. I promise. THis chapter is fun because we'll see a devious Regina and a desperate Gold, both things I love to see.

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**kana117:** Yeah, if she hurt Rose I would kill her myself. Don't worry, Rose will be fine but a lot of drama is coming up. As for when the paternity test results come back, is the next chapter fast enough for you? ;-)

**Guest: **Glad you enjoyed it. I hope you like this one too.

**Mia:** Aww, thanks for the compliment. We try our best to keep everyone in character. I'm glad you think we're doing a great job.

**Guest:** The blue crystal is actually hanging on Rose's crib. Check chapters 1, 2, and 4 and you'll see it there. Glad you liked the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 11: When First We Practice to Deceive

Emma wondered if Granny's served crow because soon she would be eating some. The bug from the vase Sidney "Lying Bastard" Glass had put in her office was stuffed into her pocket as she walked towards the diner. So far this day had sucked. She'd failed to prove Regina's guilt and Mary Margaret's innocence so now her roommate was being shipped off to the state prison. Meanwhile, Mr. Gold was acting like he had some trick up his sleeve that would magically produce some evidence to save her friend. At least she'd discovered that August was on her side. One small plus.

August was coming out of the diner when she saw him. Rose murmured out, "Boy." Either the kid was finally learning the differences between boys and girls or she had a crush on the new guy in town. The latter was amusing and terrifying all at once.

"Hey," Emma called out. "I'm sorry," she said once he met her eyes.

"For what?" he asked.

"For doubting you. I made a mistake."

Emma set Rose down but kept a hold of her little hand so she wouldn't run off. She removed the evidence bag with the bug from her pocket. August gave it a quizzical look. "What's that?"

"Evidence. Evidence that proves that I've been trusting all the wrong people. I should have listened to you. This bug was from Sidney."

"The newspaper guy?"

Rose tugged on Emma's hand, pointing toward the ice cream shop across the way. "Ice cweam. Emmy. Ice cweam."

"Shh, Rose, not now." She looked back at August. "I should've seen it."

"Well, don't beat yourself up about it, Emma." That was nice of him, he could have held a grudge over her mistake in judgment. "Sometimes, it's hard to see what's right in front of us, but I knew you would."

"I'm trying," she said softly.

The loud scream startled all of them. Rose wrapped both of her arms around Emma's leg and hugged it as tightly as she could. Emma dislodged her and hurried after August with Rose in tow. The scream had come from the alley behind Granny's. They found Ruby walking away from the alley, her breath coming out in wheezing gusts. Her whole body was shaking.

"Ruby!" Emma called out when she saw her. "What's going on?"

"She…she…" Ruby gasped out as she searched for breath. She pointed with both hands. "She's in the alley."

"Who, Ruby? What happened?"

Ruby was too frightened to respond. In fact, the girl appeared to be in a full panic attack. Emma left her in August's capable hands while she carried Rose over to whatever had frightened Ruby.

There was a parking lot in the back for the employees of the diner and the shop nextdoor to park. It was just an empty dirt lot, nothing special. But now Emma saw someone lying on the ground, completely unmoving. Judging from the dirt and grimy clothes, they could have been homeless. Only…she'd never seen anyone begging around in the streets of Storybrooke.

Emma set Rose down at the corner. "Stay here," she said firmly, "Rose, you stay, you got that?"

"Stay," Rose repeated.

"Good girl."

Emma walked over to the body and turned it over. She never imagined what she would find.

Kathryn Nolan, filthy, cold and very much alive.

_"How…? Her heart is in the hospital refrigerator, isn't it?"_ Emma thought.

She heard footsteps and saw that August and Ruby had come around to see. Even Rose had disobeyed Emma and toddled after them in her little pink sneakers. August had the wisdom to scoop her up before she could get too close.

"Kathryn?" Emma asked.

"Sh—Sheriff Swan?" Kathryn stammered out. "Where am I? What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

Kathryn was shaking. Her blue eyes were filled with fear and her pretty face streaked with dirt. Wherever she had been, it certainly hadn't been clean.

Emma pulled out of her phone and called the hospital, explaining they needed to send an ambulance. She may not understand what exactly was going on, but she knew Kathryn needed to see a doctor. God only knew what had happened to her at this point. The paramedics arrived and began their job of assessing Kathryn for possible injuries.

"Whoa," Ruby said. Her fear was fleeing now that the shock had passed.

"You can say that again," Emma said.

"Will she be okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Rose blinked over at Emma and held open her arms. "Emmy," she pleaded, perhaps with some fear. Poor thing probably couldn't figure out what was going on. When the sirens went off she started crying and buried her face into Emma's blonde hair.

"Well, you got what you needed," August said, nodding to the disappearing ambulance.

"Got what?"

"Kathryn's alive so obviously Mary Margaret is innocent for her murder."

It took a second for what he was saying to sink in. She hadn't forgotten about her friend, but the shock of finding Kathryn alive had kept her from realizing what all of this meant. Mary Margaret was safe.

"Yes," Emma said and then louder, "Yes!" She held out Rose to Ruby. "Can you watch her? I have to go."

Ruby nodded eagerly. "Yes, go."

"Thanks!" she called over her shoulder as she broke out into a run. Her car wasn't far, just down the street from Granny's. If she broke every speed limit and traffic law, she could no doubt intercept the state police before they left town.

She wished she'd come in her squad car but she'd left that at the station. So it was up to her yellow Bug to get her there in time. No sirens to warn people to get out of her way, just her own determination.

She saw the white van with the Maine State Police emblazoned in it's side already rumbling towards the Storybrooke sign. Emma punched on the gas. She swerved into the left lane and then slammed to a stop a few feet in front of them, cutting them off of the exit.

The tires squealed as the van came to a stop. Emma climbed out of her car and hurried over. She wasn't surprised when the lead officer opened the door and poked his head. "Sheriff Swan, what the hell is going on?"

"You have to release Mary Margaret."

"I can't do that, sheriff."

"Yes you can, Kathryn Nolan is alive."

She heard Mary Margaret gasp from inside the van. "Did she say she's alive?"

The officer shook his head at her. "What are you talking about."

"She's alive. Ruby found her behind Granny's Diner," Emma explained, "She was all dirty, like she'd been held somewhere for weeks, but she's alive. Call the hospital if you don't believe me."

The officer ducked back inside. She heard him whispering to his partner to confirm that. Emma snuck in closer so she could see part of Mary Margaret's face from inside the car. She smiled at her friend. For the first time in days, Mary Margaret smiled back.

It took only a few minutes before the officer hung up his phone. "She's right. Kathryn Nolan just arrived at Storybrooke General."

"She couldn't have killed or kidnapped her," Emma said, "She's been in custody since I found her fingerprints. This was a set up."

The officer turned in his seat to eye the once suspected murderer. "Boy do you have one powerful enemy, whoever they are."

Mary Margaret only nodded in reply. Both she and Emma knew exactly who it was.

Then the officer removed his keys and unlocked Mary Margaret's cuffs. "You're free to go."

She smiled. "Thank you," she said before bounding out of the van. Emma wouldn't have had a choice if she'd wanted to avoid hugging her, but she was more than happy to do it. The past few weeks of misery, of sleepless nights and desperately searching for evidence but always falling one step behind, were over. Mary Margaret was finally free.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Emma said.

"Oh thank God." Mary Margaret let out a happy sigh as she slid into the passenger seat of the Bug. "I really thought it was over, that I was done. I…I actually gave up on you." The guilt rang in her voice at the end.

"It's okay," Emma assured her, "I probably would have felt the same way. Believe me, I've been in your situation. It's easy to feel suddenly hopeless."

"I can't believe she's alive. How did you find her?"

"I didn't," Emma admitted, "She just showed up. I can't explain it."

Mary Margaret didn't care about the mystery of it all. "Obviously whoever did this had a change of heart."

Emma doubted that. Regina certainly instigated all of this, but Gold's words before she'd left the station still haunted her. _"There's still time." "Time for what?" "For me to work a little magic?"_

Could he have done this? Could he have kidnapped Kathryn, held her somewhere while Regina pinned the blame on Mary Margaret and then waited until she'd almost won to free his captive? She could buy it except she couldn't figure out why he would do all of that. He'd worked _pro bono_ for Mary Margaret so it wasn't for money. It's not like he'd helped his reputation any in town nor had he ever seemed to care what anyone thought of him. And there simply was no proof of any of this, just an odd comment that churned up her gut.

But right now, none of that matter. Mary Margaret was free. Gold could do whatever the hell he liked for now.

Emma didn't take Mary Margaret home right away. Rose was still waiting for them both back at Granny's. It was between the lunch and dinner crowd so the whole place was empty save for Granny and Ruby. Rose was sitting on Ruby's lap with a bowl of strawberry ice cream in front of her. Her face was smeared with the ice cream, hot fudge and whipped topping. But she still smiled when she saw Mary Margaret.

"Mawry!" she cried and wiggled around in Ruby's hold. Granny quickly produced a towel to clean her face before Mary Margaret lifted her up into her arms.

"Oh Rose, sweetie, I missed you so much," she said. Rose just kept saying "Mawry, Mawry," over and over.

"Thank God Kathryn's alive," Granny said with a smile, "I knew you couldn't have done it, Mary Margaret."

"Thank you," she said, still clutching Rose to her chest. Emma suspected she wouldn't let the little girl go for quite a while. Rose may not have a father, but she had two surrogate mothers who loved her so dearly. And now she had them both back for good.

* * *

Regina was feeling that rush of panic but right now anger was winning the battle of her emotions as she stormed into Mr. Gold's pawnshop. She had to confront him about this mess he'd helped create, he needed a reminder of who really had the power in this world.

"You broke our deal," she hissed at him as soon as she walked in.

But Mr. Gold didn't look fazed at all. "I broke one deal in my life, dear. And it certainly wasn't this one."

The liar. "Kathryn was supposed to die and Mary Margaret was to get the blame," She reminded him.

He still didn't look cowed, working on the leather tetherball. "Yeah, murder seems so much worse here, though, doesn't it? You can't just turn someone into a snail and then step on them, can you?" She raised an eyebrow at that characterization, recalling that was a preferred method of murder in his past.

Then Mr. Gold got to the point. "You didn't say 'kill her'. We agreed that something tragic should happen to her. Now abduction is tragic." He actually had the gall to smile at her.

"The intent was perfectly clear!"

"Oh let's not talk about intent. Intent is meaningless."

"Intent is everything—."

"Please," He hissed the word out with a knowing smirk.

She glared at him as the word worked it's magic, making her incapable to continuing this part of the conversation. He picked up the ball and walked around the counter, as if he was trying to end this talk entirely.

"This is going to raise all kinds of questions about where she was and how the test results were faked," Regina pointed out, though she wasn't sure if she was telling him or reminding herself about the problems she was facing.

"Oh yes and um," Gold turned around to look at her, still mug, "and who put the key in her cell."

Then the truth dawned on her in a terrifying moment. She reached up to finger the ring around her neck. "It's all going to lead to me isn't it?" She glared at him. "You bastard!" He did this on purpose; she knew it…she just didn't know why.

Or maybe she did.

"Does this have to do with the little brat?" Regina asked coldly, "The one that probably isn't yours?"

"Why would Rose have anything to do with this?" Gold said, his face a serene calm that she couldn't see through.

"I had no idea that your little whore of a housekeeper had a child," Regina explained. But he certainly didn't like that she called his love a whore.

"Don't call her that," he said menacingly.

"Fine," Regina said, "The little _fool_. She was a fool to love you…especially when you sent her back to her father to be raped and tortured."

"We're done here," He told her quickly.

"Oh no we are not."

"Our deal is done," he reminded her, "I fulfilled my end of the bargain, exactly as we agreed on."

"This doesn't make any sense," Regina declared, stepping forward. "You and I, we've been in this, together, from the start."

"Oh have we?" He seemed to find that thought amusing, not a surprise. The imp found amusement in the unlikeliest of places.

"You created the curse for me. The curse that brought us here and built all this."

"Yes and it's about time you said thank you."

"Why did you do it?" He had an agenda. Rumplestiltskin always had some sort of trick up his sleeve.

"You're a smart woman, your majesty." He told her, almost menacingly, "Figure it out."

She watched him walk away knowing she'd been dismissed but she didn't care. Regina knew that there had to be a way to get back at him for this betrayal. And fortunately for her she knew his weakness.

He might deny it but he cared about the brat his whore had whelped. All she needed to do was to make him realize that he wasn't any sort of father to her.

And she knew just how to do it.

* * *

Gold was in a foul mood from his talk with Regina and catching the stranger in town rifling through his things. He was tired of all of these pointless distractions. His centuries of work was almost complete and still things were keeping him from his goals.

Of course he couldn't put the whole of the blame on outside sources. It had been him who had let his rage control him as he beat Moe French for a crime he had committed in another life. That had resulted in the necessity to make a deal with Regina, one he had used to his advantage in the end. And still she thought to toy with him.

He wasn't a fool. Of course she had no idea about Rose. If she had she undoubtedly would have used her somehow, probably ransomed her for something from him, a favor perhaps. Of course, that would only have worked if she was truly his child. Then again, he was doing a very poor job of hiding his interest in her. She likely suspected that the truth didn't matter to him. But he wasn't sure on that point himself.

He wanted so many things. He wanted Baelfire back in his arms, Belle alive and unharmed again and to know for sure that Rose was his child. He had nothing that said she wasn't and little that said she was. It was creeping into his dreams, distracting him from the work of ages. And yet, he couldn't resent her that. Not if she was his child.

The stranger was also foremost in his thoughts. August Booth was his name and he knew nothing else. What was he doing in his shop? Why was he in Storybrooke? The curse had been designed to keep everyone in the town and also keep others from coming in. So how had this August managed to enter? He wasn't the Savior nor was he her son. It was quite a puzzle.

He didn't like questions when he wasn't the one giving them.

Gold was in the back of his shop, one hand curled around Belle's cup, when the bell to his shop rang to indicate a customer. He was tempted to tell them to go to hell. He was in no mood to deal with anyone.

"Hello?" It was Mary Margaret's voice that called out. "Mr. Gold?"

Bloody hell, what did she want? Sometimes she was just like the Snow White he remembered. She was losing that meekness and becoming the queen she used to be. And Snow White was always soft hearted. He remembered how she looked at him when he told her about the dangers of love. He had almost bared all of his pain to her then. Instead he'd done it for her husband when the shepherd turned prince had scoffed at the idea of him even understanding the notion of True Love.

Henry had already invited him to some Welcome Home party, though Mary Margaret had returned home yesterday so it was a day late. He knew the only reason he was invited was because he had represented the innocent woman during her ordeal. If they knew he'd help plan the whole thing he was certain the invitation would have been rescinded. He didn't actually plan to attend. No one wanted him there anyways.

However, that August was sure to be there seeing as how he was friendly with Emma Swan. Perhaps he should attend. He could learn a thing or two about the man when he did.

"Mr. Gold, are you here?"

He was going to let her walk out, but then he heard her say, "No, Rose, don't touch that. It's breakable."

Rose. She was here.

Of course she was. She had two caretakers so it was a good chance that Mary Margaret would have her, especially since she had been separated from her for weeks. Snow had always been tenderhearted and perhaps the part of her that never got to be a true mother to her daughter was reaching out to this motherless child. He should resent her for that, but it wasn't her fault Belle never got to be a mother to her daughter. It was her father's. Her father's and his.

Gold found his cane and strode out of his backroom with as much dignity as he could with the severe limp. Damn the Curse for returning that to him.

Rose was indeed in Mary Margaret's arms and her intent focus was set on a small porcelain box with roses on it. She was so much like Belle even though she was still so very young.

Mary Margaret smiled when she saw him. "Oh, there you are."

"Indeed, here I am." His eyes narrowed in on a cloth covered basket that was hooked under her arm. "What is that?"

She glanced down at the object in question. "I, uh, wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping me, for taking my case the way you did. I mean, most people in this town were certain I was guilty, but you believed in me."

Because he'd known for certain that she was innocent, but that was his little secret.

The basket was set on the counter and turned out to be filled with muffins. _"Oh how quaint,"_ he couldn't help but sneer internally. Snow White would never have give him a basket of baked goods like this, that princess was made of sterner stuff. Of course, it wasn't her fault that she had forgotten who she was.

"Thank you, Miss Blanchard," he forced himself to say politely, "I'm sure I will enjoy them." He would if he had any intention of eating them. There were many things in this new world he would admit to being interesting, muffins were not one of them.

The tinkling of glass hitting glass was a blessing. It turned his foul temper to the one thing in this town that was sure to soothe him. Little Rose had turned her curious gaze away from the porcelain box and found the blue glass mobile with unicorns. She laughed at the sound the little glass animals made when they clang together.

"Careful, sweetie, you don't want to break that," Mary Margaret chided her gently.

"Horsie," Rose said.

"She has an eye for beauty," he said with unmistakable fondness.

"And trouble."

"_Yes, she get's that from her mother."_

It was only when Mary Margaret turned back to look at him that he realized he'd actually spoken his words out loud. There was a moment of panic. Had he said to much? Could she see the truth? But this wasn't Regina. Neither Snow White nor Mary Margaret would do him harm with such a truth. And she didn't even know anything beyond the fact that Alayna French was his former employee. Perhaps she thought he had been mildly fond of her.

"She broke many a trinket or two when she worked for me," Gold said to cover his mistake. It was the truth. Belle had broken one thing of his, chipped it actually. Unless he included his heart.

"Yes, that's right," Mary Margaret smiled down at the child, "You're mommy worked here, Rose."

Actually she hadn't. Yes the Curse had created the allusion that Alayna French had worked for him only two years ago, but the truth was that the woman had been dead for nearly thirty years. He let Mary Margaret tell Rose the lie. No one would believe the truth anyways, in either world.

Rose blinked back at Gold and then smiled. He smiled back at her as he forced his arms to remain at his sides. As much as he wanted to claim her, he couldn't. Not until he knew for sure. Then Regina could do what she willed to him, but he would protect this child from hell or high water.

"Hold on a moment," he said to Mary Margaret. He returned to the back of his shop. Before they had come, he'd been toying with some of his gold thread. A spool of it had made it through when the Curse had hit, though it had no power here other than it's weight in gold. It took only a moment to fashion a small piece of it into a little circle. He had it in his hand when he returned to the counter.

"What's that?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Just a gold chain that broke a long time ago. I didn't think it was salvageable at all, but now…" He walked over and gently slipped it onto Rose's little wrist. "There. I thought it would serve you better than me."

Rose stared down at the tiny circle of gold on her wrist, watching as it sparkled in the light. "Gol."

"Wow," Mary Margaret said, "Uh…that's very nice of you, but I don't know if she needs something so…"

"It's useless otherwise, Miss Blanchard. I hate to see things go to waste."

She nodded once and then smiled. "Say thank you, Rose."

Rose toyed with the bracelet as she said, "Tank you."

Gold smiled back at her. "You're welcome, little miss."

Mary Margaret made her goodbyes for them both. He hated it every time he saw that child leave. It hurt just like when he'd watched Belle walk out of his life forever. At least he had given something for the child, even if it was small. The gold had no power here, not until magic returned to the people of the Storybrooke, but it gave him some comfort that she had his gold now. When Regina saw it she would know that he was putting Rose under his protection. He didn't care what she would do now. He was ready to fight her, no matter the cost.

* * *

It appeared that half of the town of Storybrooke had already arrived at the party by the time Mr. Gold stopped by. He was not certainly amused by the shocked looks on many people's faces, including Emma's when he was let inside. But the invitation had been extended by Henry and Mary Margaret and given his contribution to the freedom of the one being honored; no one could really voice opposition to his presence.

But no one exactly welcomed him either.

That was fine; he didn't particularly feel the desire to mingle either. He'd much rather observe. Mr. Gold had come there with a purpose. He knew for a fact that August Wayne Booth would come to this party and he could watch this stranger, perhaps figure out who he really was. No one just randomly got lost in his shop, oh no, this man had an agenda. Now Mr. Gold had to figure out what he was doing here.

Unfortunately there was a distraction at this party that he hadn't counted on.

Little Rose French was the light of the party, flitting from guest to guest and all took a moment to admire the cheerful sprite. He wanted to ignore her but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her.

She was wearing a yellow dress that brushed the top of her toes. There were ruched flowers around the waist that looked like little yellow roses. The dress was beautiful on her and in that yellow dress she looked like her mother, the very first time he saw her.

Belle had been wearing a gold dress. Gold like his thread, he remembered seeing it and being amused by that. She would be his just like his gold.

Now here was her daughter who looked so much like her, the same hair and white skin. It was like watching her ghost, a small miniature ghost that had the same stranglehold on his heart as her mother.

Henry had taken a shine to her. He played peek-a-boo with her, chased her around for a while and even snuck her two cookies when Emma wasn't looking. Rose giggled and laughed at every second as they invented a game. She'd run to various patrons of the party, hiding behind them or demanding to be picked up. She ran to Ruby, Granny, Archie, even Marco, but never him. It was fine, she barely knew him, but if she was his…more than anything he wanted her to run to him.

"Uh, Mr. Gold."

Gold directed his black gaze to Archie. "Yes?"

"I, uh, just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping Mary Margaret like you did," the former cricket said, "It was kind of you."

"Unexpected you mean."

"No, no, I mean…she was in a tough spot and you believed in her. That was more than what most people did."

Gold smirked a little. "Or perhaps I just know a desperate soul."

Hopper blinked back at him with confusion, his mouth opening. Clearly he was far more useful as a cricket. Gold would have taken satisfaction in the moment, perhaps moved on but something ran into his legs, nearly making him drop his cane.

Rose had wrapped both of her little arms around his legs. When she saw Henry coming, she let out a squeal and ran behind him, cowering behind the barrier of his legs. Gold forgot how to breathe.

Henry bounded forward, smiling. "Sorry, Mr. Gold. We're just playing."

Gold bit back his own smile. "It's quite all right."

Rose laughed as she dodged Henry's reach. "Gol. Gol hide Rose."

He let out his own chuckle. "This is a first, someone wants me to protect them." Gold was mindful of his bad knee as he bent to stroke her head. Sadly, she saw that as part of the game. With a squeal, she took off towards the other side of the apartment, the little yellow ribbons in her hair flapping like butterfly wings.

He couldn't stop watching her as she working her own magic on everyone; smiles followed her wherever she went.

It was difficult tearing his eyes away from her but he did ever so briefly look towards the real goal he had in mind here. Mr. Gold watched him as he talked with Henry, he didn't know what they were saying but he had his suspicions that it was about whatever they'd had planned in his office.

Henry was prodded to go see Mary Margaret and give her the bell he'd picked out in his shop. There was the typical nervous titter that followed as everyone was reminded that they all assumed Mary Margaret killed David's wife. But then young Henry had to leave…just as David Nolan arrived.

He couldn't help but enjoy watching Emma deal with that awkward situation. She handled it well, forcing David to take Henry home. He waited for her to close the door behind them before taking the opportunity presented to him.

"Hard to let him go isn't it? Your son?"

"Yeah," Emma said turning around to look at him but with suspicious eyes, "Pretty much the hardest thing." Then she launched into a very poor segue. "Speaking of things we weren't talking about. Was it you?"

"Was what me?"

She was still looking at him suspiciously. "Did you make Kathryn suddenly materialize? Cause it sure played that way to me. Was that the magic you were going to work? Because if you kidnapped that poor, innocent woman, just to let her go-."

He almost laughed. She was good, very good. She had no idea how right and wrong she really was. "Are you proposing that I'm working with Regina, or against her?"

"I don't know," Emma admitted, "maybe diagonally."

That was as apt a description as he could come up with.

"Well you keep working on that one," He told her, not bothering to hide his amusement. But Gold quickly got back to business. "My question's about something else – what do you know about him?" He gestured to August.

Apparently being questioned about the stranger wasn't anything unusual. "Goes by August. He's a writer. Typewriter wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in stubble. Why?"

Gold didn't take his eyes off the man. "He was poking around my shop today. August Wayne Booth, clearly a false name." He turned to look at Emma. "If there is one thing I know about it's names.

"Writers go by pseudonyms. What does it matter?"

He still kept an eye on August. "You trust him?"

To his surprise Emma replied. "Yeah." Then she leveled her gaze with him. "A lot more than I trust you."

Gold wasn't surprised that Emma Swann didn't trust him. No one did. But he watched as she walked over to the man they had just been talking about, as if making it clear who's side she was on. That was no matter, her loyalties didn't bother him.

This man's identity did.

* * *

It was turning into a very interesting day for Emma, her little talk with Sydney had been surprising and more than a little frustrating. She hated not knowing what Regina's agenda was or being played the fool by the town's intrepid journalist. She wasn't entirely sure if it could get any worse.

And then it did.

"Sheriff Swan."

Emma sighed heavily and stopped in her tracks on the sidewalk. The sound of Regina's voice was like nails on a chalkboard at the moment. "Regina, what are you complaining about now?"

She came up to her with the same icy look she always had. "What makes you think I'm here to report something?"

"Fine, what do you want?"

"I simply came here to help you," Regina explained calmly.

Since when did Regina ever _help_ her? "With what?" Emma asked more than little suspicious.

"With your search to find Rose's father."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you care about that?"

"I understand your desire to find this man," Regina continued as if Emma hasn't just asked that question. "I wanted to let you know that I believe I know who he is."

"You do?" Emma asked, now she was wondering if maybe Regina had figured out who she thought Rose's father was. Mr. Gold wasn't anyone's idea of a good father, least of all Emma's.

Regina nodded. "I just recalled seeing Alayna French…"

"I thought you didn't know her."

Regina gave her a look. "I saw her occasionally, Miss Swan. I know everyone in this town."

"Except Rose."

"Only Moe knew about Rose," Regina replied icily. "I cannot be held responsible for every secret that takes place here." She gave Emma a glare. "Now would you like to hear what I have to say?"

Emma just sighed and gave Regina her full attention.

Regina looked pleased with the bare minimum of attention. "Over two years ago I remember seeing Alayna French on my way home. She was clearly drunk and with a man…who was also drunk."

"Was it Mr. Gold?"

She frowned and shook her head. "No, why would you think that?"

No way was she answering that question. "She worked for him, maybe he was taking her home."

"She wasn't going home," Regina explained, "they were heading elsewhere. Now the timing fits for when Rose would have been conceived. Don't you see? She had a drunken one night stand and was embarrassed about it, that's why she never said anything."

Emma shook her head. "I really don't know much about Alayna French…but what I do know…I just don't see her getting drunk and sleeping with a stranger."

"How would you know? You never met her."

She gave Regina a small glare. "Fine, who was she with?"

"I don't know."

"I thought you knew everyone in this town."

"It was almost three years ago," Regina replied angrily, "I'm certain I will know his name when I remember all of the details."

"Look, Regina. I appreciate the _help_," Emma stated, "but this isn't enough to go on."

Regina did not look happy with that statement. "I believe he might work at the courthouse."

"I thought you didn't know who he was?"

"I'm trying to help you."

"Why?" Emma finally asked. "You've shown exactly _zero_ interest in Rose and her father since we found out about the kid. What has changed your mind now?"

Regina stepped forward. "Moe French needs some help, Rose's father can provide it. Believe it or not, all I want is what is best for that child."

"Then we are in agreement." Emma said, "but telling random guys at the courthouse that they may or may not have a child is not the way to go."

"If you won't look into this, then I will."

"Be my guest."

Regina gave her one last glare before stalking off. Emma stared after her mostly wondering what sort of agenda she had. She knew that Regina had suddenly gotten an interest in Rose's parentage…and it certainly wasn't for Rose.

Then who?

* * *

It had been much easier to spy back in the Enchanted Forest. Just a bit of magic, perhaps a mirror or two and he would have all the answers he needed without having to step foot outside of his home. But Gold was down to cloak and dagger skills, things that were tiresome and ripped straight from some terrible spy movie, but they were effective.

Now he couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was very interesting to find the visitor of Storybrooke talking to the Mother Superior. He'd always hated her and losing her identity hadn't changed anything. But what was she doing with Mr. Booth?

In the Enchanted Forest, magic had been his tool for getting information before. Here he had only his wits and his power. It was more than what he had centuries ago.

And so he waited for them to finish and he relished the look in her face when she saw him there. "Mother Superior, good afternoon."

She didn't back down. In fact, she raised her chin and looked at him squarely. "Our rent is paid in full."

"I'm not here about the rent."

She smiled politely at that. "Well good day to you then."

She began to walk away, but Gold wasn't done with her yet. "Tell me, that man who just left here…who did he say he was? What did he want?"

Mother Superior turned around, still annoyingly polite. "I don't have to tell you that."

He didn't have magic, but he did have power. "And I don't have to not double your rent." He gave her a moment to understand her options before he asked again, "What did he want?"

"Advice and counsel," she said, "He came to town looking for his father after a long separation, and he recently found him."

It wasn't the answer he was expecting. Actually he felt…disappointed? Why would he feel that way? August Booth was nothing to him, just a mystery.

"Ah," he said, "And a happy reunion has already taken place."

"No. He hasn't spoken to him yet."

He blinked at her. "Why not?"

She pursed her lips and shrugged. "It was a difficult parting. There are many issues to be resolved between them."

"I see."

Yes, he was beginning to. Now he understood why he felt disappointed and why he'd been so anxious to learn everything he could about August Booth. Ever since he saw the picture of his dagger he had begun to hope. Was this Baelfire? Had his son finally found him?

"What more do you know about him?"

"Nothing," the former fairy said, "Look, I have things I need to do."

Gold couldn't let her go, not right now. This could be everything he had been wanting for centuries. She couldn't keep him away from his child, not after her meddling helped take him away.

"No, please, I need to know."

She didn't turn around this time, just kept walking inside. "I'm sorry, Mr. Gold, but I don't have anything else to tell you."

"Wait…" but he never got to finish what he wanted to say. She had walked into a large common room with a wealth of pictures on the wall. They were photos of false events and false memories, but there was one face that was real.

Belle.

She was sitting outside with another of the fairies turned nuns. She had a book in one hand and she was smiling.

She was pregnant.

He couldn't stop staring. He was rooted the floor and staring at some ridiculous photograph that meant nothing because it was a manifestation of the Curse…but it was Belle. Belle was pregnant and happy. He desperately wanted that picture to have been true.

"That's Alayna French," the Mother Superior said, "She stayed here for a while."

"Why?"

"She was pregnant and alone. Her father was upset over her condition."

"What about the father of her child?" Could this woman have the answer he so desperately sought?

"I'm afraid she never said anything," the nun said, "I always suspected she didn't know."

No, of course she didn't. Alayna French wasn't real, just a lie created by the curse. Belle was dead. And yet…the Curse followed the lives of those back in the Enchanted Forest. It had limits. It couldn't put Mary Margaret and David together because Regina had that planned, but neither could it force Mary Margaret to be married to someone else. It was part of it's design. Unless its caster planned it, the Curse would create a blueprint that was similar to their true lives. Sure, it was designed to make everyone miserable but it couldn't alter absolute truths.

If Alayna had been with the nuns during her pregnancy…Belle could have been with them too.

"What happened to her?"

"After her child was born, she returned to her father," Mother Superior said, "I'm sorry to say that she disappeared a few months later."

Yes, that was one thing that couldn't be changed. Those that were dead before were still dead. And Belle was one of them.

"I'm sorry, but did you know her?" Mother Superior asked.

He continued to stare at Belle's beautiful face. If only he had a real picture of her, one from their world. The cup was enough, but sometimes he wanted to see her real face, not one created by the curse.

"No," he said, because it was the truth. He knew Belle, not Alayna. Yes, he had memories of a girl who looked like Belle, talked like Belle and acted like Belle. But those memories weren't real. Belle had been real.

He didn't ask anymore about the woman in the picture or August Booth. He didn't even say goodbye. He just turned around and walked away. But he came out of that convent with more than what he had before.

Hope. He finally had hope for something that had hardly seemed a dream. For centuries he'd dreamed of finding his son, of having him again. Even after he'd lost Belle, that hope had comforted him. He'd still had a purpose. When he found out about Rose, he'd clung to the dream that he might have a daughter. But even that seemed small…and he was too afraid to find out for sure.

But now there was hope. Hope that he could have both, a son and a daughter. Both.

* * *

Regina had two dates with different men. Her first was with Sidney who she was having to convince to take all of the credit in the plot to frame Mary Margaret for murder. Her second was with Jordan Walker and that was a far more delicate plot. Sidney was easy, he was so pathetically in love with her, this was just the ultimate way for him to show his devotion. Jordan's case would take a bit of magic.

She had arranged to meet him at The Rabbit Hole for drinks after work so they could talk. She had been vague about the reasons so he would have to show up. Perhaps he thought she was interested in him or that it dealt with work, it didn't matter. As long as he was there.

She nursed a scotch as she waited, smiling and waving once he walked through the door right on time. Jordan was a very handsome with rich gold hair and deep blue eyes. He was young, cavalier, everything Gold wasn't. Perhaps once she had him convinced that Rose wasn't his child she could get Gold to believe that his little tramp of a caretaker had fallen in love with Walker. Oh, now wouldn't that be delicious? Getting him to believe his love for her was one sided and that his child wasn't really his, how savory sweet that revenge would be?

"Jordan," she said with true cheer, "I'm so glad you came. There is something important I want to talk to you about. But first, have a drink."

"Sure," he said and ordered gin and tonic.

She let him sip it a few times, let the alcohol make him pliable. "I've seen you with the child, Rose French."

"Yes, well, I was actually hoping to have dinner with Emma Swan, but she turned me down."

Good God, did every man have to pander over that blonde? First Graham and now Walker? At least she didn't have either. Regina had seen to that.

"Oh, well I thought you might have been interested in the child," Regina said with a shrug.

"Why?"

She gave him her best innocent look. "I thought you knew. You do remember her mother, right?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

"But you must," Regina insisted, "I saw you with her once."

Jordan frowned at her. "You did?"

"Yes, you must remember that night."

"What night?"

Regina smiled to herself. She reached out with that small bit of power she had, the string that bound her to the Curse she had enacted. "You were here with Alayna. You both had been drinking and then you were talking. Things progressed and you went home together. You remember that, right?"

Jordan blinked at her and then shook his head. "No, I don't."

What? He had to. She was implanting the memories. He had to remember. "You don't have to be nervous. It's okay to admit it."

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what you're talking about."

It was the Curse. It was weakening and so was her power over it. Regina couldn't let that stop her. She had to keep trying. Emma Swan and Gold could not win. This Curse was designed so only she could win, no one else. This was supposed to be her victory and no little brown eyed child was going to ruin that.

So she reached out again with all of her might. "I saw you," she said, "You were drinking with Alayna French. You both had long, hard days. You had a problem in court and she was depressed working for Mr. Gold. You started talking and then she kissed you. You were drunk and you knew it was a bad idea, but you didn't care. You both needed to forget and all you had was each other. So you took her home."

She tugged with all of her might on his memories, tweaking and pushing each detail into his brain. _Accept. Accept. Accept_.

"Do you remember now?" she asked.

Regina held her breath as she waited. His eyes were distant, staring far, far away. "I…I think I do."

* * *

August Booth knew that what he was doing was not exactly morally good. He was pretending to be another man's son in order to further his own goal of surviving, in no way was that an act of goodness. However, the man in question was actually Rumplestiltskin, so hardly even a man at that. He was also the legendary Dark One, the most powerful and evil being in their mother realm. No, what he was doing wasn't an act of good but at least it was being delivered to a truly wicked person.

He kept a suspicious eye on him as they walked through the forest. He knew the stories, heard the rumors. This was not a person to be trusted with any length of rope. He was certain to hang anyone who got in his way with it.

"It's not far," Mr. Gold said.

"Good." August was relieved. Once he had the knife, he would be cured. For good measure, he added, "I think you've changed, Papa. I can tell. Once we get the knife, we can leave. I can show you some wonderful places in this world."

He didn't expect Gold to stop. He gripped the gold tip of his cane tightly, hard enough so his knuckles went white. "Papa?" August asked. It actually hurt to say that. His actual father was working as a carpenter and a janitor in Storybrooke, though he lacked the courage to actually see him.

"There…there's something I have to tell you, Bae," Gold said in a broken voice, "I, uh, I can't leave Storybrooke just yet."

August nodded. "I know, the Curse. It's not broken yet."

"No, well yes, that's true, but that's not what I meant." Gold stared down at the damp ground. He swallowed hard before he said, "After I lost you, I vowed to work on nothing else but to create this curse to find you. I swore that I would love nothing else."

"And you did," August said. It was rather obvious.

That was why it was surprising when Gold finally met his eyes and he saw such pain in them. "No…I failed."

"I don't understand." August frowned, for once actually meaning what he said.

"I—I met someone."

August didn't bother trying to hide the surprise on his face. Dear God, was he actually saying that…?

"I was lonely so I made a deal with a young woman," Gold said, "She agreed to work as my caretaker in exchange for protecting her town and her family. I was only looking for some company, but I…I…" He looked down for a second, but found some resolve. He spoke the next words clearly while looking right into his eyes. "I fell in love with her."

Never in his wildest dreams did August expect those words to fall out of Rumplestiltskin's mouth. Love? It didn't seem possible. No doubt that showed on his face. "I'm sorry if that upsets you son…"  
"No," August quickly said, "I'm just surprised. I never thought…"

"Neither did I," he admitted, "but it was true love, Bae."

True love? This really was just too much to believe. And he was ready for this heart to heart conversation to end. He was starting to feel uncomfortable in his role. "So that's why you need to wait," August said, "She's here and you can't leave without her."

Rumplestiltskin shook his head slowly. "Oh no, that's not…she—she's dead. I made a mistake…I hurt her."

"You killed her," August guessed. That wasn't hard to believe.

"No," Gold quickly said, "I didn't believe her, I couldn't believe that anyone could love me after what I had become…so I forced her out. Her father was cruel to her, gave her over to wicked men…she killed herself."

So that was what the love of the Dark One brought: death. Yes, August felt a small bit of sympathy for him, but most of the emotion went to the dead woman. Perhaps she'd made a terrible choice in loving him, but she never should have been killed for that love.

"I don't understand then," August said, "Why must you stay?"

His brown eyes were determined now and utterly fixed on him. "She had a child, Bae. I didn't know until a few weeks ago."

Tonight was the night for surprises. His head was reeling from this new information, and it only took a second for the pieces to fall together. The child. August immediately knew who he was talking about. "Rose," he said, "She's your daughter."

"I don't know," Gold said, "Probably. You see, son, I have to know for sure. I can't leave her here."

For the first time since he'd settled on this plan, August felt like an ass. Rumplestiltskin was many things: imp, liar, monster, killer, thief. But he had forgotten one very important thing.

He was also a man.

Apparently a man who had fallen in love, lost her and now was desperate to know whether her child was his. August could actually give him an answer, but that would mean blowing his cover. The crux of the matter was that he had to think of himself right now. Besides, Rumplestiltskin didn't deserve much sympathy. Still, he couldn't help but grant him some.

"I know this is hard to accept," Gold continued, "But…she could be your sister, Bae. I hope you can accept her."

That snapped August back into attention. He had to play the dutiful son, even if he'd never truly succeeded at the role with his true father.

"No, I can," he said, "I've already met her and she's…well she's very special." Gold nodded at that truth. "We'll find out if she's yours and then we'll all be together, as a family."

August felt another spurt of guilt when Gold gave him a relieved smile. "Yes, that's all I want now son."

He found his crumbling resolve and fortified it with fresh steel. He needed to do this. He would die otherwise. August nodded. "Now let's go find that knife."

* * *

It was late, but Mary Margaret and Emma were set on having dinner at Granny's. Mary Margaret was insisting on getting out in the town. Emma thought it was a good idea. Mary Margaret was innocent, Kathryn was alive, it was best for her to face the town and for the town folk to see she wasn't the monster the paper's had painted her as.

Paperwork was making them run a bit late. Mary Margaret didn't complain. She played with Rose on the floor of the station while Emma finished her work. "Food," Rose said plaintively.

"Soon, sweetie, I promise," Emma said from her desk.

"How much longer?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Not long, but you don't have to stay. You guys can go on ahead."

Mary Margaret shook her head. "We're fine. We'll all go together, Rose can wait a bit longer."

Emma was about to say screw the work and grab her stuff so they could leave, but the sound of the door opening drew her attention. She never would have guessed that Regina would walk in followed swiftly by another man. Emma had seen him a bit around town, but his name escaped her at the moment.

"Sheriff this is Jordan Walker," Regina said, "He works as a clerk at the courthouse."

"Uh, hi," Emma said. She and Mary Margaret both shared a quizzical look.

Regina pointed to little Rose sitting in Mary Margaret's lap. "Jordan, this is your daughter."

Emma's jaw dropped. She didn't need to look at Mary Margaret to know she had the same expression. "What?"

"Um, that's a bit presumptuous," Mary Margaret said as she stood up from the floor. Rose was thankfully oblivious to the bombshell just dropped directly in front of her.

"Do you remember the man I saw with Alayna three years ago?" Regina asked sweetly, "This is him. Jordan Walker admitted to me that he slept with Alayna. He is Rose's father."

Emma's mind was still reeling. The DNA test she'd sent was due back any day now, she was still trying to convince herself that she could handle whatever the answer was. A part of her already knew that it had to be him. And now Regina was here with a new candidate. Just looking at Jordan, Emma could see everything she'd wanted Rose's father to be. He had a good job, a god reputation, he seemed nice, perhaps a bit scared, but nice. And yet…she couldn't believe it.

Still, she could be wrong, so Emma nodded to him. "Is that true? You slept with Alayna French."

"I—I don't know."

Emma frowned at him again. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"He was drunk," Regina said.

"Excuse me, but I was talking to Jordan, not you," Emma snapped at her. Regina was up to something with this, she could feel it. "Okay, what happened? I want _you_ to tell me, Jordan, not her."

"I, uh," he raked a hand through his blonde hair, "I remember seeing her at the bar. I was drinking and then I remember waking up the next morning at home."

"And Alayna was with you?"

"No, I was alone."

Emma tapped her chin with one finger. She stepped towards him as she said, "So let me get this straight: you remember talking to Alayna at a bar, but you don't remember actually sleeping with her?" He nodded. "What makes you think you're Rose's father then?"

"Well…it makes sense…I guess."

Regina pushed herself forward. "I saw them leaving together, they were all over each other. There is no doubt in my mind that this is Rose's father. He's here to help you prove that, sheriff."

"Yes," Jordan said with a nod, "yes, I'll do whatever you need: tests, records, whatever you want. Is there anything I can do?"

Emma stared at him for a while, searching his face for the answers. It only took her a second for her to see just what she needed to see. She gave him a grateful smile and nodded. "Yeah, there is. Go home."

Now it was Regina's turn to cry out, "What?"

Jordan frowned at her, "But, sheriff, if I'm her father—."

"You're not," Emma said.

"But—."

"Jordan, I don't know what may or may not have happened between you and Alayna, but I assure you, you are not Rose's father. I'm certain of that." She tilted her head towards the door. "Go home. It was nice of you to come forward, but there's nothing you can do here, okay?"

Jordan's body visibly lifted with relief. He smiled at her nodded. "Thank you, I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help."

Regina stood there gaping at him as he quit the room, his step lighter now. Then she turned her wrath onto Emma. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing," Emma said, "Why did you tell him that Rose is his daughter?"

"Because she is! She has to be!"

"No she's not."

"You heard him," Regina insisted, pointing at the door he just walked out of, "He admitting to sleeping with Alayna."

"No, he admitted to talking to a pretty girl and then waking up at home alone. None of that is what is necessary to create a child, trust me on that."

Regina shook her head. "You should test him, test him and then you'll see."

"I don't have to test him, I know."

"No you don't."

Emma stared squarely at her. "Yes I do."

Regina scoffed. "How? How can you know that?"

Emma smiled and had to suppress the urge to laugh. For once, she was actually ahead of Regina on something. There was something sweet about that. She looked over at Mary Margaret who was still holding Rose. "You teach biology in school, right?"

"Yeah, a little."

"So you know about dominant and recessive traits? The whole genetics things?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Granted, I didn't graduate valedictorian or anything, but I do remember this," Emma turned back to look at Regina, "Blue eyes are recessive and brown eyes are dominant. Alayna had blue eyes, so does Moe and so does Jordan. But Rose has brown eyes and the only way that's possible is if her father also has brown eyes."

Emma let that sink in for a moment before she continued. "Jordan can't be Rose's father because he has blue eyes."

Regina blinked back at that, her own dark eyes wide. "You can't be sure."

"It's impossible for two blue eyed parents to create a child with brown eyes," Emma said.

Mary Margaret nodded. "She's right. Rose's father must have brown eyes."

Regina stared into Rose's face, surely seeing those brown eyes that proved she had found the wrong man. But instead of accepting that fact, she shook her head. "Genetics are complicated, there has to be an explanation."

Emma's brows knit together. "Why is this so important to you? It's not Jordan, just accept that."

"It _is_ Jordan," Regina spat out, "If you won't prove it then I will."

Emma shrugged. "Be my guest, but you're barking up the completely wrong color tree."

"We'll see about that."

Regina turned on her heel with her head held high and walked out of the room with the same high dudgeon she always had. Emma frowned at her departure with a wealth of questions. It was Mary Margaret who voiced it first. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know," Emma admitted. All she knew was the Regina was up to something again, but what did she want with Rose? Well she wasn't about to let her use the child for any reason. Regina could bet on Walker being the father, but Emma had a surer, more likely horse she had her money on.

If only winning the race didn't terrify her so much.

* * *

It took all of his will power for Gold to keep walking. He burned to go back and bury his dagger into that deceitful Booth's gut, then twisting it to make sure his death was completely excruciating. The only reason he didn't is because August Booth had the one thing Gold lacked: Emma's trust. Unfortunately, that was worth keeping the little liar alive.

His leg hurt with every step, but his heart throbbed even worse. Bae. He had thought he'd found his son. August had known he was searching for him, how he didn't know, but that hardly mattered at this point. He had used his love for Bae to try and save himself. There was some pleasure in knowing that failed simply because of a lack of magic.

His hope had shattered like a mirror hitting the floor. He could see shards of it, still feel it pulsing inside, but it was gone. His son was still out there, still lost somewhere in this world and he still couldn't get him. That was pain he had lived with for hundreds of years, but it was more acute now that he thought he'd found it all. He had thought they would be a family: him, Bae and…Rose.

"Rose," he said her name in whisper. Not all hope was gone. Rose was still there, tucked up in Emma's home. He didn't have his son, but he might have a daughter.

He didn't feel the pain in knee as he walked out of the forest and back to the road. His car was waiting for him just where he'd left it. He paid no attention to stop signs or traffic lights as he drove back into the town and parked just outside of Emma and Mary Margaret's building. This was it. He was done waiting. He was going to tell Emma the truth, the _he_ was Rose's father. He had to be.

This thought carried him up the stairs to their apartment. His daughter was inside, waiting for him. He didn't have his son, but he could have Rose.

He knocked on the door.

The rap of his knuckles on wood restored that bit of doubt that lingered inside of him. He didn't really know for sure if Rose was his, yes it was likely but there was still that chance he was wrong. And if he was…he could lose two children tonight. Two hopes broken completely.

He heard movement inside and that was enough to send him fleeing. He went down the steps, his knee giving out on him just as he reached the first landing. Thankfully the wall and his cane kept him from falling.

"Hello?"

He held his breath. Emma couldn't see him from his spot, but he could hear her. "Is anyone there?" she asked.

After a moment, he heard her murmur, "This is one weird night" and then the door closed.

Gold's strength left him now. He fell back onto the steps and let his cane clatter to the ground beside him. He did what he'd been wanting to do since he'd discovered August's cruel deception: he wept.

Bae was still out there. Rose was just upstairs and he didn't have the courage to claim her. The thought of losing her now…he hated himself then. He hated himself for being weak. And he hated himself for being alone once again.

* * *

A/N: Poor, poor Gold. Yeah, we kind of hated August during this episode, we were perfectly fine when he turned into a giant wooden puppet, LOL. So what did you all think?

Next chapter: Regina is visited by an old friend who ruins her plan to get revenge against Gold, but she always has a plan B up her sleeves. Emma receives the DNA test results but is afraid of what she finds when she opens them. The truth of who Rose's father is finally revealed once and for all and that changes everything in Storybrooke.


	12. Pandora's Box

Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time is a fantastic show, sadly not ours.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Wow, this is a record. We got this one out the very next day. We were just as anxious as all of you to get to those results. I hope you like this chapter. A lot happens in it, but it has an ending I think all of you will like.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: This was the chapter EVERYONE has been waiting for. I can't wait to read the reactions from it because I know that everyone is going to be excited to see where this is going.

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**kana117:** Is the next day fast enough for you? LOL. Hope you enjoy it. I'll tell Regina to watch out for you.

**giu:** You'll see what Emma does and Gold appreciates the hug. He deserves one after Sunday.

**Reviewer:** Yeah, a lot of people hated August, he was a jerk but you'll see him do something good in this chap. Baby Daddy is revealed in this chapter and as for Moe, at this point no he can't hurt anyone but that will change in the future, hint hint.

**Midst:** Next chapter is here, so here's your fix.

**Guest:** Here you go, hope you liked it.

**Guest:** Glad I could help and feel free to ask more questions. Glad you liked the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 12: Pandora's Box

The large, white envelope came in by carrier at 9:30. Emma didn't have to read the return address to know what it was. She just signed the clipboard and then stared at the envelope for several minutes. Technically this was the part where she was supposed to tear it open, but for some reason she hesitated. Emma picked it up and then set it back down again. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ she thought.

It's not like the results of Rose's paternity test really affected her. All it really did was answer a question…a very big question. A giant, mega, life-changing question. One that could quite possibly affect the town since it concerned it's owner. Okay, it was stupid to think this didn't affect her.

That confession wasn't enough, it just made things worse. Emma looked over at Rose who was still in her playpen. "Hey, since this is more about you, what do you think?"

Rose looked up from her game of small plush barnyard animals that made noises when she squeezed them. She held up one of them and said, "Cow."

Emma broke into a fit of laughter. It was a pig she held. "Okay, we'll explain the difference between cows and pigs later." But that only relieved her tension for a minute. The envelope was just too important to be forgotten.

Emma picked up Rose from her pen and set her on her lap at the desk. "I have before me your future," she said while Rose fiddled with an eraser, "I know it doesn't look like much, but the contents of that envelope will tell me if I found your father or not."

Rose just looked at her with her usual wide-eyed expression. "You're right, I should just get it over with."

Emma picked up the envelope and found the flap that sealed it closed…but she still couldn't open it. Once she did, there would be no turning back. She would know. Rose would have another part of her mysterious origins solved. And God only knew what would happen next.

"All right, maybe I should just hold off," Emma said, "I mean, it's not like I have to open this right now. I can wait a day…or two…maybe a week even, or maybe…"

She heard herself babbling and let out a frustrated growl. "I sound like a moron, don't I?"

Rose took her eraser and threw it towards the computer. It bounced on the glass and hit the desk with a dull thud. She burst into peals of delighted laughter and clapped her little hands together. "More! More!"

Emma smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Okay, how about we play a bit. Maybe then I'll be ready."

After a thousand games of Peek-A-Boo, reading two picture books, and helping her with her ABC's, it was lunchtime and Emma still hadn't found her courage. "Let's get some grub," she said, scooping Rose off of the floor and helping her into her coat.

The envelope was still on her desk, sealed and begging to be opened. It seemed silly, but she was afraid that if she left it there someone else who actually had the nerve would open it. Such as Regina.

So it was to be the three of them for lunch: Emma, Rose and the envelope.

Ruby took down their orders of a BLT and chicken nuggets for Rose and left them alone. The envelope sat on the table in front of her. To open or not to open? Gold or not Gold? Which answer did she want?

Rose played with her SuSu while Emma held that envelope in her hands and stared at it. She had done this, shouldn't she finish what she started? Or had she already gone to far? This would be her final chance, there would be no going back if she opened that envelope.

The sound of someone leaping onto the cushioned padding of the bench across from her made Emma jump in surprise. It was August who grinned back at her. "Hey."

"Don't ever do that again," she warned him.

"Boy," Rose said as she looked at August.

"Yes, Rose, August is a boy," Emma said, "Obviously a little boy."

He chuckled at her joke, but his eyes were drawn to the big white envelope. "What's that?"

"Nothing," she said too fast.

"Wow, you suck at lying."

"Nothing you have to know," she quickly amended with a smile.

August grinned back and nodded. "All right, maybe I don't _have_ to know but the real question is do you _want_ me to know?"

Emma blinked at him. "What?"

"You're reminding me of Atlas."

"I'm a map?" she asked with a frown.

August laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm saying you've got the world on your shoulders. What's going on?"

Emma drummed her fingers on the envelope and the shrugged. "I don't know if I should tell you."

"Well obviously it has something to do with that envelope. What's in it?"

"Like I said, you don't have to know."

His lips curled up into a grin. "You're really not going to tell me?"

Emma leaned forward, careful not to disturb Rose in her lap. "Do you remember when we met and you said you could let me torture myself with wondering what was in your mysterious little box?"

August nodded.

"Let's call it payback."

He laughed at her challenge and relaxed back into his booth. "All right, you don't have to tell me, but I think you might need to. I mean, clearly this is eating at you, whatever it is." He met her eyes and held up one hand. "I swear not to tell a soul. Cross my heart." He used his fingers to form an X over his heart.

Emma toyed with the corner of the envelope while staring into Rose's brown curls. Talking to Rose certainly hadn't helped because she was too young. She didn't really understand what this envelope meant. Hell, she didn't even understand that she was lacking parents. But some day she would. Someday she would know that she had been abandoned by her mother and had a question mark for a father. The real question was, would Rose have wanted her to open this envelope and discover the missing link to her parents if that answer was Mr. Gold?

"Okay, I'll tell you," Emma caved with sigh, "It's like this: a couple of weeks ago I got a major lead in the identity of Rose's father."

"That's good," August said. At her expression he changed his answer, "That's bad. Why?"

"The guy…he isn't exactly what I pictured. I mean, I kind of thought he would be like Michael Tillman, decent but not exactly in the best situation for children. I figured that was why Alayna never said anything, she didn't think he could handle the burden."

August nodded. "So what is he really like?"

"The total opposite. He could totally support Rose, but he's…God, he's practically a monster," Emma said, "Everyone in this town hates him. I wouldn't wish him on a dog, much less a toddler."

"Well, at least you know how you feel about him," August teased gently, "But you shouldn't worry so much, you don't even know for sure if it's him."

Emma looked down at the envelope, smoothing it's slight wrinkles with her palms. "I know that…and it bugged me, so I stole his DNA from a coffee cup and had it tested." She held out the envelope. "These are the results."

August blinked at the expanse of white that held a heavily guarded secret many, many years in the making. "Wow."

"Yeah," Emma said. She kept one palm on the envelope while her fingers combed through Rose's hair. "Now that it's here…I'm having second thoughts. I mean, do I really need to know?"

August nodded and then shrugged. "No, you probably don't."

Emma blinked at him and frowned. "Really."

"Emma, this isn't your paternity test, it's Rose's. _You_ don't have to know anything, it's her. You need to ask yourself, does _she_ need to know?"

Emma stared at the envelope for several moment. "I don't know," she said quietly, "I mean, I know when she gets older she'll always wonder who they are and why they did what they did, but…if the answer is what I think it is then maybe she shouldn't know. Maybe it's better if she is on her own."

"Is that what you would want for yourself?" August asked, "You don't know who your parents are. Even if they disappointed you, would you rather you not know who they are as opposed to finally having some answers?"

"I thought you said this wasn't about me?"

"It's not," he said, "But you need to see that Rose is on the same path you are. Granted, she has her grandfather, you and apparently this entire town behind her, but she will be asking herself those same questions you have your entire life."

"I know that," Emma said with a sigh, "I just don't know myself what I would want to know, so I guess it's hard to figure out what would be best for her."

He nodded and reached out to pat her hand gently. "You need to think about it is all. Right now it's your decision and I think Rose wouldn't want anyone else to decide it for her."

He was about to get up an walk away, but then he sat back into his seat and met her eyes again. "But you know if you never open that envelope then you'll never have your answer."

"I'm aware of that," Emma said.

August shook his head. "I'm not talking about _who_ her father is, I'm talking about what kind of father he could be. Maybe he's everything you think and fear, or maybe beneath that prickly, devious exterior, Mr. Gold really has a heart."

Emma gaped at him with eyes as large and round as softballs. August just grinned and said, "Something to think about."

"Wha—what makes you think it's Gold," Emma said before he could get up to leave again.

"Who else could it be?" he asked, still grinning. He flashed her a wink and then waved at Rose before he left the booth. Ruby came up with their food at that moment, but Emma wasn't very hungry anymore. August was right, she did have to think this over. And boy was it a lot to consider.

* * *

The printer let out one final whirring noise as it spit out the piece of paper Regina needed. She smiled once it was out and set it down on the file. It had been simple to go to the hospital and bribe them to create a fake test result. Now it was faxed over and on her desk, ready to be delivered.

She could show these to Emma or perhaps she could go straight to the papers. Imagine that. Gold picking up the morning paper and finding the headline that read that Rose French was not his child. How marvelous a face that would be. Would he go into a rage or perhaps just brood to himself? She'd make Jordan parade her about town, right in front of his face. Or better yet, she could convince Jordan that he couldn't care for Rose properly. Moe certainly couldn't on his pathetic income and upcoming hospital bills. She would take Rose for herself. Now that was a pretty thought, having both Rumplestiltskin's lover and his daughter all to herself.

The knock on the door to her office interrupted her cheerful thoughts. She frowned at who stood before her now, feeling more than a little surprise. "Jefferson, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged but the smirk never left his face. "Can't an old friend just drop in?"

"I wouldn't call us friends."

"No, I suppose friends wouldn't abandon someone in Wonderland, forever separating him from his daughter."

It always came back to that. Yes, she'd tricked him but it was all done so she could rescue her father. That had to count for something. At least for her it did.

"It wasn't personal, Jefferson," she reminded him, "And if you came here to complain about your situation, then you're out of luck. I won't apologize and I won't help you."

Jefferson pushed away from the door. "No, I didn't come here about that. I knew that would just be a waste of breath. I just came to congratulate you."

"For what?" Regina asked. What had he and the telescope been up to?

"Your master plan to punish Gold. It's very cleverly done, hitting him right where it's sure to hurt forever: his heart."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," he assured her. He walked over to the bar and pulled out two glasses. "It's a good plan. You rip away his daughter from him, your specialty, and he actually has no idea. He simply lives with the guilt that her mother was violated by clerics, it's brilliant."

He poured two glasses of scotch and then walked over to her. He set one the glasses on her desk in front of her. She eyed it but didn't pick it up. Jefferson sipped at his scotch, his eyes drifting to the freshly printed piece of paper. "Well lookie here, you've got a paternity test that says Jordan Walker is Rose's father. You've got all of your bases covered."

Regina nodded with a smile. "Admiring it?"

"A bit, I admit I'm looking forward to it's release. It should be very interesting, all things considered."

Her smile fell away. "What do you mean by that?"

"You don't know?" he said over his scotch, "I thought you knew everything in this town you created."

"What do you know?" she demanded.

"Emma figured out Gold could be Rose's father," Jefferson said, "She stole his DNA and had a paternity test done. She's been waiting for the results for weeks. They arrived this morning."

Regina felt the horror form a knot in the pit of her stomach. She shook her head as he lips formed the word 'no' but no sound came out.

"So when you send out these results, Emma is going to release hers. Gold will have two tests with two different answers, who do you think he's going to believe?" He was smiling at her now, openly smiling. "He might begin to wonder what else you've been lying about. Maybe he'll wonder if Belle really did jump from that tower. Maybe he'll find that basement under the hospital and cell eleven."

Jefferson drained his glass and set it on her desk. "He's going to learn the truth about Rose. There's no avoiding that now."

"You bastard," she hissed, "You knew about this for weeks and you didn't tell me!"

Jefferson shrugged. "Well, you said it yourself we aren't friends." He stood up from his chair. "I'll see myself out."

Regina felt her whole body shaking with rage. It was over. Gold would know the truth. He would know that little brat was really his, that his whore had been pregnant when he threw her out. She was stuck.

Regina picked up the glass of scotch and took a healthy gulp. With a cry of rage, she flung the crystal glass into the fire place and watched as the flames roared with renewed energy. She picked up the now useless test and walked over to the fire. The paper caught immediately, burning away all trace of her plan. Gold could never know about this. He would kill her if he did.

She watched as the paper turned black and then curled like a newly formed leaf. Gold would know. She couldn't change that, but she didn't have to make it easy for him either. Regina smiled at the fire.

She sauntered back to her desk and picked up her phone. Speed dial made everything go faster and the other line picked up on the second ring. "Hi," she said, "I have an anonymous tip I'd like to deliver." She smiled as the full details of her plan swirled in her mind. "Let's just say I have tomorrow's headline for you."

* * *

The white envelope was killing Emma. She still had it with her, even when she left Rose with Granny because she needed to think. She walked to the park and wandered around in the paths, wishing it was a bit warmer, as if that would help her sort all of this out. August had told her that Gold might not be as bad she thought, though how he would know that, she had no idea. The problem was that if she did put faith in Gold and she was wrong, then Rose could be hurt. But on the flip side of that, could she really deny a father his child?

She let out an aggravated sound and flopped down onto a slightly wet and very cold bench. "When did it all get so complicated?" she asked to no one. If only it had been Jordan Walker, then all of this would be simple. But no, it was Gold. It had to be him.

"Sheriff Swan?"

Emma looked up and smiled at Archie. He had Pongo on a leash and the dog was currently sniffing at her boot. "Hey," she said, "How's it going?"

"Fine," he said, "But you look a bit lost. Is everything okay?"

"Um," Emma reached out and stroked Pongo's head. Lost was an excellent word for how she was feeling. She didn't know where to go from here. Did she dare open the envelope or did she let things continue the way they were? What would happen on both paths?

"Can we talk?" she asked, "Somewhere private?"

Archie nodded. "Sure, I'll take you to my office."

Emma had been to his office before. It was a nice, cozy space with lots of books and very comfortable couches. Henry came here all the time and he seemed to like it. Perhaps not the therapy part, but he definitely liked Archie. Of course, liking Archie was easy, he was impossible to hate.

Emma sat down on the couch while Pongo jumped up beside her. He stuck his white and black head into her lap, demanding attention. That was fine. Petting him was nice and soothing. Archie took the chair in front of her.

"Okay, do you mind if I ask what's bothering you?"

Emma shook her head. "It's…well I have a secret. I've had it for weeks now."

Archie nodded. "And it's weighing you down."

"Yeah, you might say that." Emma petted Pongo with one hand while she reached into her jacket to remove the white envelope. "I've been looking for Rose's father."

"You have?" He sat back into his chair with a slightly bewildered expression. "Why did you do that?"

"I was overwhelmed at first and I thought he could take care of her, and then…then it was just something I wanted to know. I thought she needed to know."

"And now you don't?" Archie asked.

"Now I don't know." Emma stared at the expanse of white she held in her hand that would answer her questions and filled her dread. "I didn't know what I would find…and then I got a lead. A huge lead and it wasn't what I thought it would be."

"What did you think?" Archie asked, "When you imagined Rose's father, who did you think it would be?"

"Someone nice, someone who wanted her, someone I could trust her with," Emma explained, "But it's not. He's not who I thought he would be, but I still had to know."

She set the envelope on the coffee table between them so he could see it himself. "That's a DNA test I ran on Rose. I took his DNA and now the results are here and I don't know what to do."

Archie picked up the unopened envelope and read the return address. Maybe he would have the courage to do it. Maybe he was her solution. But then Archie set it back down on the coffee table and looked back at Emma.

"You're afraid to open it and find out for yourself, but you seem pretty sure that it's him."

Emma stared down into Pongo's speckled fur. "It fits. He's the only one that fits. I know there's a chance I'm wrong, but there's a greater chance that I'm right."

Archie nodded. "Emma, it's clear you're not afraid to know for sure. You're fear is what will come after."

"I didn't need a shrink to tell me that," Emma replied.

"No, you didn't. I know you want me to tell you what to do, but the truth is that I can't. Rose is your responsibility so this is your decision, not mine."

"But I don't know what to do. If I'm right and it is him and I tell him and he can't be the father Rose needs then I've hurt her beyond repair, but if I keep it a secret and it turns out that I was wrong about him then I'd be keeping Rose away from her family. I just don't know what to do here."

Archie nodded again. "I think the problem is that you are look at two people in this scenario, Rose and her alleged father. But this involves a lot more than just them. You should talk to her grandfather and everyone else in her life, including yourself and Mary Margaret. You need to look at the broader picture and then you might be able to decide what would be best for Rose."

Emma rubbed Pongo's head some more and smiled. "That's not exactly the answer I wanted, but it's not bad advice."

Archie smiled back at her. "Just talk to them and then you might have a clearer idea of where to go from here."

It seemed so simple and it was good advice, but Emma knew this wasn't her golden answer. It was just another thing she had to do. It was all twisted up like a giant ball of string and she had to unravel it one piece at a time. And maybe, just maybe, she would have an answer when she was done.

* * *

Emma discussed her situation with Archie a bit longer before deciding to call it quits and returning to work. It was still grey outside and cold but the rain had ceased. Maybe the sun would come out and Rose could play in the park later.

She had only just stepped out of Archie's office when she saw him. Gold. He was out and about, probably gathering his daily bag of money from the bone dry purses of the residents of Storybrooke. Archie had told her to talk to everyone who was involved in Rose's life. Now she was pretty sure he didn't mean the alleged father, but right now she didn't care. Gold was a part of this.

"Mr. Gold," she called out once he was near, but he kept on walking. "Gold wait!"

"I'm rather busy at the moment, sheriff," he said as he continued to limp on, but he was easy to keep up with.

"Look, I want to talk to you about something."

"Are you wanting to make a deal with me?"

"I would rather bathe in hot acid."

"Well I don't see any around, but that's your prerogative," he said, "now mine is to continue with my business."

Emma hurried up so she could stand in front of him. "How long did Alayna work for you?"

He let out a frustrated sound. "I told you this before, eight months."

"And why did you fire her?"

"I no longer needed her."

"Your house is cluttered with junk and you don't strike me as the dusting type," Emma reminded him, "How could you no longer need a housekeeper?"

He flinched. She actually saw him flinch. That marble façade of his was cracking, this was good. She was finding he actually had a breaking point though how close she was to it, she wasn't sure.

"Was she pregnant when she left?" Emma asked.

"How would I know that?"

"Is that why you fired her?"

"Of course not," he said.

"Then why did you fire her?"

"That's my business."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you hiding about her, Gold?"

"I'm not hiding anything," he insisted. He was getting angry now. He had that fierce look in his eyes, not the same look he had when he was beating Moe, it was closer to whenever he happened to cross paths with Regina.

"Yes, you are," she said, "You're keeping something to yourself about her. And I want to know. I think I deserve to know.

She noticed the hand on Gold's cane tighten around the gold head. His brown eyes narrowed and his jaw was clenched. He took a step towards her. "You _deserve_ to know? Why? What makes you think you deserve to know anything about her? You can _never_ know her. Never! You think you do, you think you have her all figured out but none of you do."

His chest heaved with every breath, but he wasn't done yet. "Stop pretending that you understand her. You can't. You don't know anything about her and you never will."

Emma just blinked at him as he finally pushed past her to continue on his way. _"Whoa,"_ she thought. She hadn't been expecting that. She thought he would just tell her to stay out of his business, but it wasn't that. It was Alayna. He got defensive about Alayna, like he was trying to protect her or something.

She would have been pissed at him, but he was also right. She didn't know. But he did. He knew her and apparently he knew her better than anyone.

* * *

Emma stared at the envelope sitting at her desk. Right now there was nothing that could be done, no calls coming in and without the former murder mystery, she was back to doing a lot of nothing. Rose was happy in her little pen, playing with the farm animals again. She might not know the difference between a pig and a cow but at least she knew how they both sounded.

So really she had nothing to distract her from this envelope and what answers might hold.

Until Regina walked in.

"Here to pawn off another man as Rose's father?" Emma said, giving her an annoyed look. She was quick to take the envelope and hide it in a drawer; she didn't want Regina to see it.

Regina didn't look happy at the reminder of poor Jordan Walker. "No, I believe you are correct. Jordan is not Rose's father…it probably would have been better if he were."

That comment was rather interesting to Emma. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The other woman sighed. "I've been thinking about all of this. We don't know who Rose's father is or what happened to Alayna French. We don't know everything that happened with her either. What we _do_ know is Alayna did not want him to know…maybe we should respect that."

Emma set the pen down, finally taking this conversation seriously. "We don't know why she didn't tell him."

"Well isn't it obvious? She didn't want him to know, we don't know _who_ he is but clearly she knew him better than us. If she didn't want him to be involved it was probably for a very good reason."

"That isn't really our call to make."

"Maybe not…but since we are responsible for this child now—."

"We? No, there is no _we_. Me and Mary Margaret are responsible for her, not you."

"Which is why I'm here," Regina replied icily, "I know you have been looking into Rose's father…but perhaps you should stop."

"Because…?"

"Because she already has a guardian," Regina explained, "Moe will be out of the hospital soon and he clearly loves his granddaughter. I do not wish for anything to compromise that."

"Why would Rose's father 'compromise' that?" Emma asked, honestly curious at this point.

Regina smiled a little now having her attention. "Rose's biological father would take precedence over her grandfather. We have no idea if Rose's father would allow Moe to be involved…if he wants to be involved at all."

Emma hadn't actually thought of that, what would happen to Moe in all of this. She'd been so focused on what would happen with Rose that she'd almost forgotten about her grandfather. She hadn't really talked much to Moe about any of this, if he even wanted to know who Rose's father is or what might happen if they did find out his identity.

And if it was Gold…

Gold hated Moe. He might take Rose away from him just hurt him.

"You think I should stop looking."

"I think that we don't know but Alayna did, she knew and she didn't want him there," Regina said with a knowing look, "she must have had a good reason."

Emma didn't say anything and obviously Regina believed she'd made her point because with a smug smile she finally left the room. Now Emma was alone again with Rose…and the envelope.

She pulled it out and looked at it in her hands. What should she do? What could she do?

Rose was still sitting in her pen, playing with the animals. Then she looked over at Emma with a small thoughtful expression. "Emmy?"

"What should I do, kid?" Emma asked, honestly hoping for an answer, "What should I do?"

But Rose didn't have any answers.

* * *

It was time for Emma to go to the one person in all of this that could truly say he knew Alayna French. Moe was still in the hospital but his health was improving, with physical therapy he would soon be able to return home. But he wasn't out of the hospital yet so Rose was still her responsibility.

But he was still her grandfather and her guardian.

She brought Rose to see Moe again, glad that she was able to find more time to see Moe now that the whole Kathryn incident was finished with. He smiled as soon as he saw his granddaughter, now he was able to hold her and play with her a bit without being in pain. "Hello, Rosebud. I'll be taking you home soon, I promise."

That thought made Emma feel more than a little sad, it was hard to remember that this arrangement was only temporary. Rose was never supposed to stay with her for more than a few weeks…but it was going to be very hard to let her go. But she wasn't here to be sad at the idea of losing Rose.

"Moe, I actually wanted to talk to you about something," Emma began very carefully. Moe looked up; only trust in his blue eyes. "I…I've been looking into Rose's father, trying to figure out who he might be."

He didn't look too happy by that statement. "Why?"

"Well I thought that if I knew maybe he would be able to help you out," Emma replied, "it can't be easy taking care of Rose all by yourself." She smiled a little now, "I mean I have Mary Margaret but Rose is still a handful."

He laughed lightly at that. "Try two handfuls."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, that about covers it."

"Did you find out who he was?"

She froze, completely unsure of how to respond, not entirely willing to tell him about the envelope burning a hole in her pocket either. "I…I'm not sure. I've been following a few leads." Emma sat down in the chair next to Moe's bed. "Did you ever wonder why Alayna never told you?"

"Of course I did," Moe explained, "I asked her why but she never told me that either."

"Do you have any ideas?"

He shook his head. "I'd rather not think about why…the possibilities…they scare me a little."

She could understand that, especially if she was right about who Rose's father was. "But you did wonder who he was."

"Yes I did…but not for a while."

"Yeah," Emma agreed, "I guess there wasn't much of a point after a while." She looked down at Rose who was happily batting her little butterfly against her grandfather's arm. "Do you want to know who he is?"

Moe was quiet for a very long while and then shook his head. "No."

"No?"

"I have Rose," Moe explained, "I have her and I don't want anyone…except Alayna."

"But he could help."

"I don't want his help, Alayna didn't want him there so…so I don't want him either. In that case I'd rather not know, I'd rather just have things remain the same."

Emma studied his gaze for a long moment and then nodded her head. "I understand." She did. She'd made the decision to not tell Henry's father because she knew he wasn't worthy of him.

But this wasn't about Henry…this was Rose.

Moe didn't want to know. Regina didn't want her to find out but August said Gold might be able to do it.

She didn't know…she still didn't know what to do.

* * *

Mary Margaret was not expecting her roommate when she came home. Usually they just met up at Granny's for dinner. "What are you doing here?"

"Told Regina she could shove it so she fired me." Emma laughed out loud at Mary Margaret's wide-eyed look of shock. "Just kidding, I haven't gotten that brazen yet."

"Where's Rose?"

"Granny said she'd look after her for a while. I needed to think."

"About what?"

Emma held out the envelope for her to take. Mary Margaret frowned over the address. "Boston DNA Diagnostics? What is this about?"

"Rose," Emma said, "I think…I might have done something incredibly stupid."

The great thing about Mary Margaret was that she was always willing to listen. She immediately sat down and offered her up a reassuring smile and waited for her to continue. "I took a swab of Mr. Gold's DNA from a coffee cup and had it tested with Rose's."

"Are you serious?" she asked. Emma nodded. "What's it say?"

"I haven't opened it yet."

"Why not?"

"Because…maybe I shouldn't," Emma said, "I mean, Moe seems to be a pretty good grandfather to Rose and I just…I don't know what Mr. Gold will do if he is the father. Or, if he isn't, then I'm back at square one. I grew up without parents so I can't…I don't want to fail her."

Mary Margaret put an arm around her shoulder. "Emma, you won't fail her. Just because she doesn't have any parents doesn't mean she isn't loved. Look at how you and this whole town has taken her in. She has the largest family I know."

Emma's lips curled up a bit and she nodded to the white envelope in her hands. "But what about Gold? What if it is him? He's the coldest man I've ever met, do you really think he could be a father?"

That one had her for a second. "Um," she said, nervously putting one strand of black hair behind her ear. "Well he did attack Moe French."

Emma blinked at her. "You suck at arguments."

"No, you said that he was angry with him about something else, not the cup."

"Yeah, a woman," Emma said, "I know, he might have meant Alayna, but—."

"That's my point," she said, "It wasn't the theft that made him so angry, it was whatever happened to Alayna. Sure, Mr. Gold isn't exactly the sunniest of personalities, but that shows he is capable of love."

Mary Margaret shrugged. "He might surprise you. At any rate, Rose deserves to know who her father is. Would you want someone to sit on information about your parents like this?"

Emma shook her head. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "All right. Here it goes."

Her fingers still quivered as she tore open the top of the envelope. Her heart was running a marathon inside of her chest while her stomach was tied up by her intestines. She found the paper, scanning it for a second. It took a bit to understand all of the legal mumbo jumbo, but there it was. The answer she had wanted and feared.

"What's it say?"

Emma wordlessly handed her the paper. Their eyes met once Mary Margaret knew the answer too. "What are you going to do?"

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoO_

Mr. Gold was polishing up a set of brass bookends when the bell over the front door rang. Sure, the sign was flipped to closed, but that rarely ever stopped either one of Henry's two mothers. He made a silent guess in his head as to the identity of his visitor before he looked up. He smiled at his correct deduction.

"Sheriff, unless this is a matter of life or death, my shop is indeed closed."

"I don't want any antiques," she said.

"Then we have nothing to discuss."

"Shut up, Gold," she hissed, "We're going to talk about Alayna French and this time you're going to give me answers."

It jarred him to hear that name. She was Belle to him, not Alayna. Belle. Emma was a fool if she thought he was going to discuss her. Belle belonged solely to him and all he had left of her was his memories and a now safely hidden chipped cup. Emma had no right to know anything about her.

"I believe I told you everything I know about her," he said tightly.

Emma shook her pretty blonde head. "No, you didn't. I want to know what your relationship with her was."

"I was her employer."

"You really want to play this game?"

"I was unaware there was a game being played." This little princess might think she could duel words with him, but he'd long ago mastered this game over his interminably long life. Sometimes without the help of magic.

Emma just glared at him with the same look of fury he'd seen many times on the face of her father. "You're not telling me the whole truth."

"What does it matter, anyways? She is gone." It actually hurt to say those words.

"You're lying," Emma said with finality. There really was no way to hide the truth from her. "You knew her more than you are admitting. You did know that she loved someone, didn't you?"

Memories were threatening to overtake him. Hot, throbbing, memories that squeezed his heart until it could fit into a ring box. He needed to get away from this meddlesome woman. She was threatening his sanity.

"I don't have time for this nonsense," he said, "We're done here."

But that didn't work last time, she'd arrested him then, at least she didn't do that now. Emma stepped in front of Gold, blocking his escape from the counter. "It was _you_. She was in love with _you_."

That is what killed him. He could swallow his own heartbreak, accept the truth that he had broken his own vow and fallen in love with a woman too far above him. But he could never, not in a thousand lifetimes, forgive himself for rejecting her love. Belle had indeed loved him. She'd died because of that.

"Is that why you beat up Moe French?" Emma asked, "Because you were in love with his daughter and you blame him for what happened?"

Gold wasn't going to touch that question with a ten foot pole. How had she stumbled upon all of this? Not even French suspected the truth, mostly because it had all happened in another world. Here in Storybrooke, it didn't matter that he'd loved someone once, that True Love had slipped through his hands. His purpose was to find his son. Emma had to let this go so she could go back to her true purpose.

He'd been silent for far too long. He could see in her eyes that she was piecing together the story on her own, and probably filling it in properly. "What happened then doesn't matter," he said, "Bel—Alayna is gone. I have nothing to do with her anymore and none of this has anything to do with you."

"Mr. Gold—."

"Tell me, dear," he said coolly, "Have you heard the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat'? Well I suggest you stop playing the cat in that parable."

Emma glared at him again. "This has nothing to do with me. I'm doing this for Rose."

He let out a mirthless chuckle. "You can tell yourself that if you like, but I'm going home."

He reached for his keys behind the counter, fully intending on kicking her out by force if he had to. She'd done enough for him tonight. He was sure to have dreams of Belle, dreams that would tear at his soul come morning.

"I know you slept with her," Emma said.

"What gave you that idea?"

"This." She slapped a piece of paper on the glass counter so hard that the contents inside rattled. "It's a paternity test for Rose. I tested it against you. Congratulations, Mr. Gold, looks like you'll be getting Father's Day cards from now on."

Mr. Gold stared down at the creased and wrinkled paper that had spelled out his silent wonderings.

_Child: French, Rose Marie_

_ Alleged Father: Subject A (Name Unknown)_

_ Combined Paternity Index: 36,590 to 1_

_ Probability of Paternity: 99.99%_

_ Conclusion:_

_ The alleged father, Subject A, is most likely the biological father of Rose Marie French…_

It was true. He hadn't just thrown Belle out of his castle completely heartbroken. She had been pregnant. Pregnant by a beast who had taken her just to prove a point.

He picked up the paper, not even noticing that it shook between his fingers. He couldn't be angry with Emma for overstepping her bounds and stealing his DNA. She had done what he'd been too afraid to do. Now he was still afraid, as well as relieved, and overjoyed.

He had a daughter.

Emma walked out not long after making her point. He didn't see her leave, but he heard the bell ring. He was glad to be left alone again. The paper wrinkled in his hands as he brought them up to his face and wept. Tears of joy and pain were rolling down his face.

He had a daughter.

Belle was still gone.

* * *

Emma closed the door to her shared apartment and leaned against it with a sigh. She probably should have stuck with her plan and politely explained the situation to him. Still, was it her fault that Gold liked to push her buttons? She'd always been rebellious, so of course she would react like that.

Mary Margaret came out of the bathroom with Rose wrapped up in her little pink baby bath towel. "Hey," she said, "How'd it go?"

Emma let out a groan in reply. "Oh no, did you not tell him?"

"No, I told him." Emma sighed again and pushed away from the door to walk to Mary Margaret who was finishing drying off Rose. "If you can call slamming the paper on the counter and saying 'congratulations' telling him."

"Whoa," she said, "How'd he take it?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"What do you mean?" she asked as she pulled out a set of pajamas for Rose to wear. "What did he say?"

"Nothing," Emma said, "He just kind of stood there, looking stunned."

"Can you blame him?"

"No," she admitted. Mary Margaret finished wrestling the shirt on Rose, but despite being dressed for it, she was no where near ready for bed. She also had a burst of toddler energy after her bath. Mary Margaret pushed over the little Leap Frog toy piano so she could mash all of the keys to make a plethora of noise. Obviously she wasn't bound for Julliard.

Emma sat down next to Rose and stroked her chestnut curls. "I wish I knew what he was going to do, but he's so unpredictable. I honestly don't know if he'll want to be her father or…he might do nothing."

"Well you had to try. It's up to him, Emma, you know that."

"I know." She bent down and kissed the top of Rose's head, breathing in the baby powder scent of her shampoo. "Who could not want her?"

"I don't know," Mary Margaret said.

Watching as Rose played with her toy, babbling baby nonsense, Emma remembered the one time she had cared for a baby. Her baby. She'd only held Henry for an hour before he'd been taken away to be adopted. It was funny how she'd forgotten. Over the years she'd made herself believe that she had held him for a bit before handing him off so he could have a better life. She had forgotten staring into his eyes, touching his tiny button nose, and feeling something she had never felt before. Now she knew it was love.

Emma had loved her baby in that brief span of time and then made herself forget that love. She had convinced herself that she couldn't be a mother. She hadn't had a mother so she had no idea how to be one as well, it was for the best. But now…she had managed to take care of Rose for these past weeks.

"You know being a mom, it isn't as scary as I thought it would be," Emma said.

"You should see some of the kids I teach," Mary Margaret said with a grin, "You might change your mind."

"No, I mean…I don't know, having Rose here is making me wonder if maybe…"

Emma didn't have to finish her sentence. Mary Margaret reached over to pat Emma's hand. "I know this has you questioning your decisions, but remember you were eighteen when you had Henry. Not to mention, not exactly in a position where you could raise him."

Yeah. Prison wasn't the best atmosphere for a newborn.

"You did the right thing," Mary Margaret said, "But that doesn't mean you're not ready now. You've been great with Rose and with Henry. You already are a mom, Emma."

Emma smiled, letting one of Rose's silky curls slip through her fingers. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Rose soon got bored of her piano. "Ball!" she shouted, "Emmy! Mawry! Ball!"

"Guess we're being summoned to duty," Emma said before she retrieved Rose's purple ball from the corner of the room. Rose greedily took it and threw it towards Mary Margaret. She had terrible aim so it bounced twice just short of her feet and stopped halfway to her target. Mary Margaret just walked over and scooped up the ball. She tossed it towards Emma who gently rolled it back to Rose.

There little game continued with Rose happily scampering after her ball. Sometimes she switched targets and threw it back to Emma and the game would go in reverse until she returned to tossing to back to Mary Margaret. Rose's little laugh was infectious. All three of them were giggling throughout the entire game.

A knock sounded on the door just as Emma bounced the ball back to Rose. "Hold on, I bet that's Ruby," Emma said, "She wanted to go out tonight if she got off early."

Mary Margaret nodded. "You can if you want. I'll watch Rose."

Emma shook her head. "No, I think I'll just stay here."

She opened the door, prepared to politely tell Ruby that she was too tired for a night out and offer her some tea or coffee. But it wasn't the vibrant, red-streaked, waitress who was standing in the doorway. It was Rose's recently found father.

"You're not Ruby," Emma said.

"What gave me away?" Mr. Gold quipped.

Okay, she had to give him credit for being good with the comeback. Emma knew what he was there for, or who actually. Now she had her answer, but she found she wasn't thrilled about it. This man was about as trustworthy as a hissing rattlesnake.

"You here for the rent?" she asked, crossing her arms in defense.

"Now who's the one playing games, Sheriff?" It was one of the first times Emma had ever seen him without any humor in his face. Dark humor, usually, but still he always found something amusing. Mr. Gold was dead serious at this moment and she wasn't sure if she liked it. Who knew what he was capable of in this manner. "I want to see her," he said.

"I don't think so," Emma said, "It's late, she'll be in bed soon."

"I think you're simply reluctant to let me in."

"Well I've always been iffy about snakes in my apartment."

He let out a breath that might have been annoyance or amusement, maybe a bit of both. "Might I remind you that I'm the man who owns this building and that I have the power to turn you out?"

Emma uncrossed her arms, her whole body going rigid as she stretched to her full height. "Oh, so that's your plan. Threats? You really think that's going to endear me to invite you inside now?"

She shook her head and reached for the door. "You know what, I think she's better off without you."

"Emma," Mary Margaret's voice was surprisingly stern, like the disciplinary mother Emma had convinced herself she'd never needed, "He has a right to see his daughter."

Unfortunately, she was right. Emma had given Mr. Gold legitimate proof that he had more right to Rose than she. Besides, he had come, that did give him some points. Maybe just one.

Emma sighed and stepped aside. "Fine, but you can't stay long." She grumbled just loud enough for him to hear, "Obviously, she gets her bubbly personality from her mother."

Gold made no complaints to her demand, perhaps he never intended to keep them up a while. For all she knew he just wanted to see that she was alive and well fed before leaving Rose alone for the rest of her life.

His cane thumped against the wooden floor as he walked into the small apartment, roughly the size of his living room if Emma's memory served her correctly. Maybe he would be willing to give Moe some money to help out Rose, he had plenty to spread around if he were so inclined.

Mary Margaret had scooped up Rose during their conversation in the doorway. Rose had her little stuffed butterfly squished up to her face, sucking one of the pink antennae. She looked at Gold with her large, brown eyes. She couldn't possibly know who he was, but maybe she recognized him from a few glimpses in town. Gold didn't speak a word as he looked back at her, but he stopped just short of Mary Margaret. Emma watched as his free hand reached up, hesitated for a moment, and then captured one sable curl between his fingers.

"Is she well?" he asked the more amiable teacher.

Mary Margaret smiled back at him. "Very well. She's healthy and strong and quite bright for her age."

She shifted the baby around a bit. "Would you like to hold her?" Emma tried to meet her eyes while she shook her head, but she suspected Mary Margaret was deliberately not looking at her. At any rate, she didn't give Gold much of a choice if he was thinking about saying no. She held out Rose for him.

He tucked his cane under one arm and carefully took Rose from Mary Margaret's grasp. He was lucky she was nearly two because if she'd been a newborn it would be a much more difficult job for him. As it was, Rose was settled comfortably on his good side, leaving him free to continue using his cane.

Rose let out some babbly noises after the trade, but she didn't complain. Instead she found Gold's silk tie and enjoyed trying to figure out the perfectly shaped knot. Mary Margaret smiled again and said, "I'll make some tea."

Emma was too busy gaping at the whole scene to notice her roommate grabbing her arm and pulling her into the kitchen with her. But it did jerk her back into reality. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Giving him a little privacy," Mary Margaret said, "This is his first time meeting his daughter, he should have a moment alone with her."

Emma would have disagreed except that he wasn't really alone with her. It was an open layout and she could easily see them over the kitchen counter. "I still don't like this."

Gold was doing a fine job of ignoring the owners of the apartment. Rose had her head on his shoulder, the butterfly tucked in her mouth. One tiny hand reached up to feel the shape of his nose. He smiled when it moved and began to play with his hair. "You look so much like your mother," he whispered to her.

Sound still carried remarkably well in that space. Emma met Mary Margaret's eye and they shared an equally surprised look. Who'd have thought that Mr. Gold would be capable of tenderness?

Gold might have let more little juicy tidbits slip had Rose not let out a whimper and then a small cry. Emma started towards him immediately, certain he must have done something. But Mary Margaret held her back. "It's all right," she said to both her roommate and her landlord, "I think she's just getting fussy. She's probably ready to go to sleep."

That made Emma relax. It was around that time that Rose often began to get cranky for her bed.

Gold nodded. "Then perhaps you should take her back. You know her routine more than I."

Mary Margaret gave him an apologetic smile for only getting his child for so brief a spell, but did scoop Rose out of his arms. As further proof, she began to fuss again, and didn't stop until Mary Margaret gave her a sippy cup with warm milk, her favorite nighttime treat. She sucked greedily for several moments with her father watching as her brown eyes began to slip close. Once she was barely awake, Mary Margaret laid her down in her crib. They hadn't bothered to take down her mobile, especially since the ceilings were too high in the apartment. Instead, she turned on a little CD player that began to play out soothing lullabies. Rose made a few gentle coos, but she was too sleepy to make much noise. Soon she was completely out of it.

Emma wasn't entirely sure what she thought Gold would do, but standing over the crib to watch her sleep was definitely not on the list. He reached over and touched the blue crystal that they had kept on her crib. A ghost of a smile crossed his lips, like he understood something at last. Then he reached down and gently stroked her hair. This was just getting weird. She wasn't sure if he was really interested in Rose or just still stunned by learning he was her father. One thing was sure, he'd been here long enough.

"You better not be thinking about spending the night," Emma said, despite her voice being low so not to disturb the baby it was firm enough. It did work to snap Gold back into attention and he turned away from the crib.

"Thank you Sheriff Swan, Ms. Blanchard, I'll see myself out."

Emma blinked at the quick goodbye, but didn't stop him as he walked out of the door, the cane thumping along side of him. And what was he thanking them for? For letting him inside? For caring for his daughter these past weeks?

Mary Margaret looked just as confused as she was. "Now what?" she asked.

"Hell if I know."

* * *

A/N: Gold finally knows once and for all that he is Rose's father. Now, can any of you guess what is going to happen next? Tell us what you thought of the big reveal.

Next Chapter: The scandal of Rose's paternity rocks the town and Gold takes the brunt of much verbal assault. Regina continues with her plan to ruin her former mentor and Emma finds out what Gold wants but is afraid of what all of this will mean to little Rose.


	13. Sins of the Father

Disclaimer: Nope, OUaT still not ours. We're keeping Rose though.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: This chapter has one of my favorite scenes my sister wrote, the scene at the diner. It's so funny and one of the first things we came up with when we thought of this story. We also see Regina work out more of her plan against Gold and that's always fun. I hope you all like it.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion:LOL glad that everyone liked that Gold FINALLY knows that Rose is his kid. It'll be interesting to see how the town reacts to the news and well know Regina is up to something hehehe.

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**Karen:** I'm so glad you like this story so much. And I hope this suspense hasn't killed you because I think you'll enjoy this chapter.

**kana117:** He's aware of the crystal the Blue Fairy gave her, but he hasn't quite figured everything out yet. Sorry, Belle is still in the asylum, but hopefully she'll be out soon. I don't want to ruin the surprise of how that happens, so my lips are sealed.

**MJ:** So glad you liked it.

**giu:** I think Gold deserves more hugs after last night's episode. You'll see what Gold does, but don't expect the road to fatherhood to be easy. He's got one big obstacle he has to beat. *cough* Regina *cough*

**Mia:** I actually labored over what Emma's line would be when she revealed the test to him and then that hit me. It just seemed so her. I'm so glad you liked it.

**Reviewer: **You'll see what Regina has done, but I'll tell you right now that it's only phase one. She's got much more she's going to do. Yes, she's that evil.

**Guest:** You're questions are never unwelcome. And good luck with your story, it sounds interesting.

**Guest:** Yeah, it was about time that he got to be with her knowing she is his daughter. But you'll see that getting to be her father isn't as easy as you might think.

**Midzt: **Hopefully you'll squeal again for this update. We wanted Emma to struggle with what to do. I'm so glad you liked it.

* * *

Chapter 13: Sins of the Father

Mary Margaret woke up at six on Saturday, once again marveling at the fact that she was finally free again. It was a true relief to be back in her own apartment, her own bed, without the fear that she would never see daylight without bars obscuring the view ever again. She would have gladly stayed there longer, but she heard Rose babbling in the living room. She must have woken a bit early today.

But Rose wasn't in her crib when Mary Margaret stood up and looked towards where the toddler should be. Emma was sitting on the sofa with Rose in her lap, gently running a brush through her brown curls.

"Hey," Emma said.

"Hey, what are you doing up so early?"

"Oh I woke up around four and couldn't go back to sleep."

"Why?"

"I had a nightmare that I found out Mr. Gold was Rose's father," Emma said, "Then I realized it wasn't a dream."

Mary Margaret sighed and sat down in a chair opposite of the couch. "Oh Emma, you know you did the right thing."

"Still doesn't change the fact that I've been harboring the daughter of probably the most evil man I know." Mary Margaret was about to protest but then Emma held up her hand, "I'm not blaming Rose, God knows she's a sweetheart, but something tells me I may not have done right by her with this."

"You found her father, how can that be wrong?"

"You've met her father, right?"

Mary Margaret put her elbows on her knees and leaned forward. "Okay, Mr. Gold has a very bad reputation around here, but can you name a time he's ever expressed any malice towards children?"

Emma begrudgingly shook her head. "Fine, one small point for him. But you know how he is. You saw him last night, he saw her and then he bolted."

"He just found out he was a father, don't you think he might have been in shock?" Mary Margaret argued.

"Maybe, but it's just…it's just…" Emma sighed and hugged Rose tighter to her chest, "I love her. I love her like she's my own daughter and I want to make sure she'll be okay."

Mary Margaret stood up out of her chair to sit down next to Emma. She put one arm around her shoulders. "I know you do and I know you're worried about her. But you don't know what's going to happen. You don't know if Gold will even want Rose."

"Yeah, I guess," Emma said, but she didn't sound convinced. Even Mary Margaret wasn't sure if she wanted Gold to accept Rose or simply leave her in Moe's care, and she didn't have any grudge against the man like Emma did.

"Would you give her to him if he does?"

Emma shook her head. "I can't."

"But Emma—."

"No, I mean I _literally_ can't," Emma said, "Alayna never put his name on Rose's birth certificate so the state doesn't recognize anyone as Rose's father. Moe is her legal guardian in the absence of her mother. The only way this can be changed is if a judge decides on the matter."

Mary Margaret nodded and squeezed her shoulder. "So what's the problem? It's out of your hands?"

"Yeah, but I'm the one who started this whole thing. I've given Rose two futures: one where she has no parents that want her or one where she has a monster for a father."

Mary Margaret shook her head. "There's a third: you found her a father who does want her and can provide for her."

Emma only shrugged at that possibility. Sure, it was there, but it seemed like Mary Margaret was the only one clinging to that hope.

Emma's phone rang before they could continue with this conversation. She handed Rose over to Mary Margaret and stood up to find her cell phone on the kitchen counter. "Oh great," she grumbled, "It's her royal highness, Mayor Regina."

She flipped her phone open with a sigh. "Sheriff Swan…Why?…What do you mean it's important?…Of course I know what important means." Emma sighed and shook her head, "Fine, I'll meet you at your office."

She slammed her phone shut. "Regina wants to see me, says it's urgent."

Mary Margaret nodded. "I'll meet you for breakfast at Granny's."

"All right."

Emma gathered her stuff, kissed Rose goodbye and then headed out the door. "Oh hey, the paper's here." She scooped up the morning paper from the doorstep and threw it on the counter.

"Thanks," Mary Margaret called after her as she left the apartment.

"Pooh! Pooh! Pooh!" Rose started calling out not long after Emma had left.

"Oh right, it's time for Pooh." Mary Margaret put Rose down on the living room floor and flipped on the TV. A few clicks of the button and the familiar song, "Winnie the Pooh" was filling the apartment.

Rose was occupied with Pooh being stuck in Rabbit's hole again while Mary Margaret changed and did last night's dishes. She was making coffee when the paper attracted her attention…no, her horror.

She unwrapped it to get a better look and then gasped. "Oh crap!"

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoO_

Emma opened the door to Regina's office without knocking. They had never stood on courtesy so why start now. Regina was sitting in her chair, pointed towards the window that looked out across the town. She was kind of like a spooky prison warden, eyeing her captives from her watch tower. Emma rolled her eyes at that idea, obviously Henry was getting to her.

"Okay, what do you want from me now?"

Regina swiveled around in her chair so she faced Emma at last. "It's quite simple, really," Regina said with a smile that told Emma she was definitely in trouble. She stood up from her chair and thrust a newspaper into her hand. "I want to know what the hell you were thinking."

"What?" Emma gaped at her. Then her eyes fell to the paper.

_GOLDEN LOVE CHILD_

_ Pawnbroker Fathered Child with Housekeeper_

Emma felt the blood drain from her face in slow, agonizing trickles. She wouldn't be surprise if it slipped out of her toes and puddled around her shoes. She blinked and blinked again but the words weren't an illusion. Apparently her nightmare was just getting started.

"Oh my God," she said slowly.

"Yes, my reaction precisely," Regina said, "Not only did you issue a paternity test without the town's authorization, but then you decided to send it to the papers."

Emma met her eyes while shaking her head so hard it whipped around her shoulders. "No, I used my own money for that test, you can check the records. And I never, _never_ would have done this." She shook the paper in her fist as she said that final word. "I don't know how they got wind of this, but it wasn't through me."

"Who knew about that test?" Regina asked.

"I told Mr. Gold last night," Emma said.

"No one else?"

"Boston DNA Diagnostics," she replied but knew that wouldn't sit, "I did confide in some people, but I trust them. They wouldn't tell a soul about it."

"Obviously your judgment is in question," Regina said as she went to her bar and poured herself a drink. Yep, she'd walked right into that one.

"Maybe they bugged my office," Emma said, "I'll check again."

Regina sighed and shook her head over her scotch. "It hardly matters now. I should have known this would happen."

Emma tossed the paper onto the desk before crossing her arms. She eyed the mayor suspiciously, nothing new in that. "Wait a minute…you knew. You knew Gold could have been Rose's father, didn't you?"

Regina took a hefty swallow of her drink and then nodded. "I had my suspicions, yes."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why try to throw me off by suggesting Jordan Walker could have been her father when you knew Gold was the more likely candidate?"

"Because I had hoped that I was wrong," Regina said, "Mr. Gold likes to think he has all of his secrets locked up nice and tight, but I know one or two things about him that no one else does. I saw how he looked at Alayna. I knew Rose had her father's eyes, but I didn't want any of that to be true. Jordan would have made a far better father to that little girl than Gold can ever be."

Emma borrowed Mary Margaret's words, mostly because she wanted them to be true. "You don't know that."

Regina shook her head with a grim smile. "Actually, I do. Why do you think I tried to dissuade you from finding all of this out? What do you think happened between Gold and Alayna?"

"Honestly, I have no idea."

"Then let me tell you," Regina said, setting aside her half-empty drink. "When Mr. Gold wants something, nothing can stop him from getting it, even if the other party is unwilling."

Emma gaped at her for a second, disgust and horror rolling her stomach like a black ocean wave. "You're saying he raped her?"

Regina shook her head. "I think he put her in a position to where she had no choice. He loves his deals, it's how he gets everything he wants. Once he'd had her, he threw her out, the thrill was gone."

She looked down at the freshly printed newspaper. The _Mirror_ had added a picture of Gold and one of Alayna for added affect. Where they found a picture of her, Emma wasn't sure. "I can only imagine how she felt once she realized she was pregnant." Her dark eyes flickered back to Emma. "But surely you don't."

No, she didn't. She could remember that fear so well when that strip turned pink. At least Alayna had had a father she could go to for support. Emma had been completely on her own.

"I'm—I'm not sure," Emma stammered out, "We can't know for certain what happened."

Regina let out a cruel laugh, one that made Emma see why Henry thought she was an evil queen from a realm of fairy tales. "Do you actually believe that he was in love with that girl? Mr. Gold is capable of many things, but love isn't one of them."

She shook her head again. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You were the one who arrested him for nearly killing Moe French, don't you see what you've just given him?"

"A child."

"No, you've given him a weapon," Regina said, "He will rip that little girl away from the only man who's ever loved her just so he can destroy French. Moe will never get to see his granddaughter again, he will lose the only family he has left."

Emma felt herself pale again. She managed to stammer out an "I—I…" but she wasn't entirely sure of what she was saying. However, Regina wasn't done yet.

"Why do you think she never told him she was pregnant?" Regina questioned, "Alayna knew Gold could never be a proper father, she was trying to protect her daughter. Surely you can understand that."

Yes, Emma could. She'd never told Henry's father she was pregnant. Hell, she'd even lied to Henry about his father to protect him from the truth. Had Alayna been doing the same? Oh God, what had she done?"

"Now you've ruined two lives, Moe's and Rose's," Regina said, "Who's next? Henry?"

Emma snapped out of her horrified stupor at the mention of her son. She would do anything for Henry, die even if it called for it. Accusing her of ruining his life made her blood go from frozen cold to boiling over with rage.

She slammed her fists on the table and leaned towards Regina. "You damn well know I would _never_ let anything happen to Henry."

"Maybe," Regina admitted, "But you still did this. And it's too late for it to be fixed. Gold will take that child and there is nothing you can do about it." Regina gave her a cold stare. "I'm afraid that's just something you'll have to live with, sheriff."

There was no way Emma could win this round. Not when she was terrified that she was right.

* * *

In a small town, gossip spread like a wildfire during a dry summer, it blazed hot and fast. What helped was the less than tasteful story on the front page of the _Daily Mirror._ "Golden Love Child" screamed the headline, which went into detail about the findings of the DNA test. How the newspaper was privy to a privately conducted paternity test was not a question many citizens of Storybrooke asked, they were too busy discussing the details.

Granny's diner was buzzing with the news as customers dined on coffee and eggs along with their side of gossip.

"The search for the father of Rose French, granddaughter to Moe French, has concluded with surprising results," Dr. Whale read from the paper with exaggerated enthusiasm, it didn't matter, the vast majority of the inhabitants at the diner were hooked even though they'd already read it. "Inside sources have confirmed that newly elected Sheriff Emma Swan sent out a paternity test that confirms that the father is none other than local businessman and pawnbroker, Mr. Robert Gold." He set the paper down with flourish before taking a sip of his coffee, "Well it's not as catchy as when Sidney used to write but it got the job done."

Ruby scoffed at his disdain for the new head writer of the _Daily Mirror_ while Leroy, who was sitting next to him, simply grumbled, "Well Mr. Gold got the job done too."

"Perhaps we should look at this with respect," Dr. Hopper intervened, "After all this does concern a small child."

"If he wanted respect he shouldn't have nailed the hired help."

Ruby shrugged, "It is a bit too late to start pretending like we don't know, not when it's headline news."

"That poor child," Granny said, shaking her head at the article in the paper. "To lose her mother…and to have a father like _that_. Moe needs to keep her away from him, if he knows what's good for her."

Leroy was staring intently at the picture of Rose's mother that was in the paper, the one that was beside Mr. Gold's own portrait. "Is this the mother?"

"Yeah," Ruby said, filling up Sydney's cup of coffee.

"How did he get a woman like that to go the distance with _him_?" Leroy asked, now leering at the picture of Alayna.

"Why don't you ask him?" Ruby suggested dryly.

Leroy ignored her sarcasm. "It's impressive really, that he got laid and got a girl pregnant at his age." Then he leaned in as if he was going to whisper even though half the diner could hear him. "You think he took something to…you know, _help_ him out?"

"People are trying to _eat_, Leroy!"

"Oh come on, sister. It's not like we all weren't thinking it."

"I was trying not to," Dr. Hopper admitted, "but now unfortunately that is impossible."

Before anything more could be said on the matter, the ringing of the bell signaled that the door was opening. They looked back to see Mary Margaret walking into the diner with little Rose in her arms. The teacher's cheeks were tinted a lovely shade of pink, she was obviously aware of the gossip making the rounds, thankfully Rose was oblivious.

She took a seat at the empty stool at the counter and kept Rose in her lap. "Coffee?" Ruby asked, her voice standing out in what was now a completely silent diner.

Mary Margaret nodded, "Yes, thank you."

"Anything else?"

"Scrambled eggs and toast," she ordered. Rose squirmed and Mary Margaret stopped her from picking up the butter knife in front of her.

"What about for her?"

"Oh I'll let her pick off my plate," Mary Margaret replied. Ruby nodded and walked to the kitchen to deliver the order while the teacher tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible. She took a sip of her coffee while holding onto Rose with the other. She saw Leroy leaning over out of the corner of her eye; she tried to ignore him, even as he studied the child.

"Are they sure she's his kid? She doesn't look like the spawn of a monster."

Mary Margaret whirled around to gape at him. "She's just a child," Mary Margaret reminded him, "It's not her fault who her father is."

"Yes, Leroy," Dr. Hopper agreed, "blood isn't everything, there are many people who have gone on to do good works despite who their parents are."

Leroy looked doubtful. "Her mother ditched her and father has no heart, this kid was messed up before she was born."

"Leroy!" Mary Margaret gasped, "Rose is the sweetest thing on this earth. You would know that if you spent ten minutes with her."

"I hate kids," Leroy replied.

Mary Margaret looked forlornly at the innocent child in her arms; she rested her cheek on the top of her head and sighed heavily. Ruby watched them with real sympathy while setting down the plate of food. "We all know he's wrong," Ruby said, "Rose isn't anything like him."

"I know."

Granny was looking at Rose intently. "It is strange seeing his eyes on her." Mary Margaret bristled but the old woman explained, "her eyes are innocent and warm…not like his. Nothing could warm his heart." She shrugged, "Leroy is right about one thing, it is hard to believe."

"How do you think it happened?" Dr. Whale finally asked, "how does a man like him get a woman to fall in love with him?"

"Who said it was love?" Ruby asked.

"You think he forced her?"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Mr. Gold would never do that."

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe it was another one of his _deals_."

"Ahhh," Dr. Whale smiled, "he would forfeit a debt for something in return."

Mary Margret's scrunched up her face in horror. "That's _disgusting_."

The door chimed again and this time the person entering the diner was another one involved. Emma took the hat off her head and immediately zoned in on the empty stool beside her friend and Rose. Unlike Mary Margaret, Emma was much better at ignoring everyone's stares. "Has she eaten?"

"She's enjoying the eggs," Mary Margaret explained, nodding to Rose who indeed had a small bit of scrambled eggs pinched between her thumb and forefinger. She brought the yellow food to her mouth, spilling some on her lap in the process.

Emma nodded and groaned. "I just got harangued by Madame Mayor." She let out a sigh before whispering discreetly, "Are people talking about Rose?"

"No," Mary Margaret said, lying very badly. "Nobody has said anything at all."

Leroy leaned back in his seat to eye Emma and the child. "Hey! Does she get to keep her name? Because Rose Gold sounds like the name of a stripper."

Mary Margaret winced and she saw the glint of anger in Emma's eyes that was directed at the little man. "All right yes, they are all talking about it."

Emma slapped her hat on the counter. "That's just great," she muttered.

Rose turned her head and smiled at Emma. "Emmy! Emmy up!"

That was enough to brighten Emma's mood a tiny bit. She smiled and Mary Margaret let her take the child into her lap now. "You've been nothing but trouble for me from the start," Emma said to Rose sweetly, "You know that?"

Rose didn't understand sarcasm. Instead she brought up a small fistful of squishy eggs to Emma's mouth. Emma laughed and took the bite of eggs from her and put it back on the plate. "Thanks, I guess."

Dr. Hopper was looking at both of them with genuine concern. "How is Rose doing, Emma?"

Emma looked at him, a little unsure of where this was going. "She's fine, she's a kid, you play with her and she's happy."

"I'm just concerned how all of this activity is affecting her. Her grandfather is still in the hospital and it must be confusing suddenly having all of these strangers taking care of her, talking to her… _about_ her."

"Well there isn't anything I can do about that."

Mary Margaret smiled now. "Actually, I think she is enjoying the attention." She leaned over and kissed the little girl's head.

"Well that is good at least," Hopper said, sounding clearly relieved.

"Do you know how this happened?" Granny asked, her eyes on the child in question.

Emma shrugged. "Regina thinks it might have been force but I'm not sure if I buy that."

"Well it could be Ruby's suggestion," Dr. Whale pointed out, "Maybe it was all a part of the deal?"

"You mean sex for favors?" Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust and looked over at Ruby, "Ever heard of Mr. Gold making a deal like that?"

"No," Ruby admitted, "and I wouldn't agree to it if he asked."

Emma shook her head. "I don't know, there's more to it than that. Something happened, something…I'm just not sure what and I doubt Mr. Gold expected it."

"Obviously not," Leroy said grumpily, "he has a kid."

Ruby was quiet and looked at Rose with a serious expression on her face. "What do you think he's going to do?"

Emma sighed. "I don't know."

"He came over last night," Mary Margaret reminded her, "maybe he'll want her."

"You let him see her?" Granny gasped, clearly not happy with that decision, "how could you do something like that?"

"I don't have any reason to keep him away," Emma admitted.

"So you are going to let him take that child?"

"No," she replied firmly, "he might be her father but I looked it up. Moe French is her legal guardian until a court decides otherwise; he can't legally take her unless a judge gives him permission. Until then…she's staying right where she is."

"Why did you even do the test?" Ruby asked, "If you thought it was him…why?"

"I didn't know at first," Emma admitted, "I was just trying to find Rose's father and then when I began to realize that it could be him…well could you leave that stone unturned?"

Ruby looked at Rose and smiled at the beautiful little girl. "No, I guess not."

The bell above the door rang once more and when people turned to see who had walked through there was a collective gasp. Emma didn't need to see who it was at that point but she still turned anyways to see Mr. Gold standing in the doorway. If he was affected by the obvious stares coming from the patrons he certainly didn't show it. His gaze was focused on Rose at first and then he looked up to meet Emma's eyes. "Ms. Swan, I'd like to have a word with you, in private."

Emma was sure she was about to be blamed for the newspaper headlines, she had been expecting this. She simply handed Rose over to Mary Margaret before standing up and following Mr. Gold out of the diner, she heard the buzz of whispered conversation start up again even before the door completely closed behind them.

"Look," she said quickly, "before you accuse me of anything, I wasn't the one who went to the papers."

"I'm not an imbecile, Ms. Swan. I know you are not the type to spread gossip," Mr. Gold stated.

She blinked at him, very much surprised by his honesty in that regard. "Then why did you want to talk to me?"

He was quiet for a moment and he looked back through the glass window of the diner, in the direction of where his daughter was. "How are they treating her now?"

Emma felt small piece of her heart lighten, at least he was concerned about Rose. But that wasn't enough to make her actually feel sorry for the man. "Oh you thought they'd snub her? No, _she_ isn't the one that did anything wrong. _You_ on the other hand…" She gave him her best glare, "if anything she has their sympathies."

To his credit, Mr. Gold seemed to find the collective hate against him amusing. "Well, I suppose that is something."

"Look," Emma said, getting down to business. "What happened between you and Rose's mother is your business, I just want to do what is best for Rose."

"And that included running a paternity test without my permission?"

"Finding out the truth is in her best interest," Emma replied easily, "I know what it is like having a big question mark for parents, at least she knows now…and so do you."

"Yes," he agreed and his eyes took on a look that was almost wistful. Emma suddenly wished to have the ability to read minds because she was certain that whatever he was thinking was damn interesting. But it didn't take more than a moment for Mr. Gold to put on his indifferent mask once more. "I didn't come by here to talk to you about that," he told her in his businesslike manner, "I wanted to tell you to have Rose's things prepared and I'll collect them this afternoon."

She gaped at him; certain she was hearing things wrong. "What?"

"You surprise me, Ms. Swan. I thought you would be pleased to know that I was taking her home."

Now Emma got defensive, as if it were _her_ kid at stake. "She's not going anywhere."

There was a challenging look in Mr. Gold's eye. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you commissioned a DNA test proving that I am Rose's father, which makes her _my_ responsibility. Not yours."

"That's where you are wrong," Emma replied, "You should take a look at those legal books you like so much. Your name isn't on her birth certificate which means the state doesn't recognize you as her father and _that_ means that Moe French is her legal guardian, not _you_." She said the last bit with some satisfaction.

He glared at her, his eyes growing dark with real anger. "I will have my child."

"Not until a court gives you permission."

"And you don't think I can do that?"

"I have every belief that you can," Emma admitted. She was no fool, she knew that with the paternity test and Mr. Gold's finances, he could easily win custody of Rose, and that was without his ability to manipulate the judge. "But until that happens, Rose is staying with _me_."

She'd won this battle and Mr. Gold knew it, but he didn't have to like it. He gave her another poisonous glare. "This isn't over, Ms. Swan."

"I'd be surprised if it was," she said to his retreating form. She watched him leave, his strides hurried and angry even with his bad leg. Emma wasn't sure what to think of all of this, he said he wanted Rose but was it because he wanted to be a father or simply because he wanted to claim his property? She didn't know, that was the biggest reason why would keep Rose to herself.

Like it or not though Emma knew she was to blame for all of this. She had been the one to dig up Rose's wayward father and now…now she had to figure out if that was a good thing or not.

* * *

Emma Swan and her secret paternity test might have ruined Regina's original plan but Plan B was going very well indeed. She'd seen the shocked faces of Storybrooke's residents and she knew that with a little more prodding everyone would do what they could to keep Rose away from Mr. Gold. Honestly, she had barely had to do anything; no one liked the man to begin with.

But there was one person that was still essential to her new plan.

All she had to do was let him know about the latest news.

Moe French was completely oblivious to the gossip spinning around town about his daughter, but Regina was going to fix that very quickly. She greeted him with a smile, making sure to make it was a little forced. "Hello, Moe. How are you?"

"Doing much better, ma'am," he replied politely. Moe trusted her since she'd barely given him the time of day in Storybrooke, she had no quarrel with him.

"That's wonderful," Regina said soothingly, "I just wanted to check on you…to make sure you were doing okay. Considering the news."

Moe looked confused of course. "What are you talking about?"

"You mean you don't know?"

He shook his head, obviously a little afraid to find out.

Regina feigned a heavy sigh as if it was hard for her to tell him this. "I suppose you will find out eventually, there is no way it will be a secret now."

"What?"

She looked at him sadly. "Emma Swan found out who Rose's father is."

Moe shook his head. "No, she asked me yesterday, she didn't know."

"She sent in a paternity test," Regina explained, "and she got the results yesterday." Moe was very quiet, looking shocked and scared. She almost relished telling him the news. "It's Mr. Gold."

The man looked like he was going to have a heart attack, his face went gray, then white. Then he shook his head in a short, jerky motion. "What? No! My daughter would never…"

Regina put a hand on his arm. "I know this is hard to hear."

"He can't be!"

"He is," Regina replied, "The DNA doesn't lie."

"But Alayna couldn't have…not with _him_."

"Moe, please," she urged him, "You have to calm down."

Now the man was crying, almost sobbing really. "But my daughter…"

"I do not believe Alayna had a choice."

Moe gaped up at her, his cheeks still wet with tears, a whole new expression of shock on his face. "What? You…you think he…violated her?"

Regina had to hide a smirk. "I believe your daughter would have done anything to protect you…and Mr. Gold may not have given her a choice."

It took a moment for Moe to let that idea sink in but she watched as the seed took root and started to bud. "Oh God…"

"I'm so sorry, Moe."

He looked ashen, but then met her eyes with desperation. "Rose!"

"We will not let him have her," Regina vowed.

"He will take her away from me."

"No," she promised, "He won't. I will help make sure that never happens. You have my word."

And that was one promise Regina was sure she would keep.

* * *

Back when she'd first arrived in Storybrooke, Emma had received a lot of stares. Those had been the long glances of the very curious, slowly taking in the fact that she was from out of town, perhaps assessing whether she was a worthy soul by her wardrobe, and then moving on. It was different this time. Now they were whispering and pointing as she walked past with Rose in her arms. They weren't actually talking about her, she knew that, but she felt what Rose would have had she been old enough to understand what was going on. Now Emma knew exactly how Mary Margaret had felt when the David fiasco had broken.

Still, Emma refused to let them bother her. She hadn't done anything wrong and neither had Rose. It's not like people got to choose their parents.

Rose was doing okay. Sometimes she would look around at everyone and give Emma her 'what's going on?' face, but mostly she was her normal self.

After the confrontation at the diner, Gold had retreated back to either his house or his shop. Emma silently hoped that he would stay there. He had caused enough trouble as it was, if he started going after the town for their gossip habits it would probably lead to his arrest in some form or fashion. As much fun as it was slapping him into cuffs once, Emma didn't need the headache or the paperwork at the moment.

Mary Margaret had business at the school to get her job reinstated and planning for classes again, so Emma had Rose to herself. Soon she would have to drop the toddler off at Granny's in order to talk to Moe about everything. She hoped he hadn't read the paper this morning. She wanted to tell him everything herself.

"Yummy," Rose pointed to the bakery just down the street. She had fallen in love with the frosted Oreo brownies they had there, a treat Mary Margaret and Emma had only give her once despite her demands for more. She didn't know how to say brownie yet so she just called it "yummy".

"I don't know, kid," Emma said, "I was hoping we could just return to the station without more people staring at us."

But Rose continued to wiggle in her guardian's arms, reaching with both arms towards the bakery. "Yummy. Want yummy."

Emma sighed. The kid had an evil man to call daddy and the whole town was wondering whether he'd forced her mother to trade sex with him. The least she could do was buy her a brownie.

"Fine, but don't tell Mary Margaret."

The bakery had a decent crowd since it was close to lunch so people were buying sandwiches or muffins. Emma had to wait behind two people while others filed out behind her. Rose kept babbling, occasionally saying, "yummy". Finally, it was Emma's turn to order.

She smiled at Mr. Drury. "Hey, she really wants one of those Oreo brownies. Can you wrap one up, please?"

Drury stared at Rose in her arms. "We're out."

Emma frowned. A quick glance at the glass counter revealed many trays of delectable desserts, including an almost full plate of Rose's 'yummies'. "No, they're right there." She pointed to the plate.

Drury shook his head. "No, I don't think you understood. I'm out of those."

"But I…" and then it hit her. Emma's blue eyes narrowed into flashing slits. "Seriously? You're going to do this!"

"I'm not serving her."

"A couple of weeks ago you gave her a free cupcake because you said she had a cute smile," Emma reminded him.

"I'm not serving_ his_ daughter."

"So that's her fault?"

Drury gazed back at her coldly. "I told you, Sheriff Swan, I'm out of the brownies."

While Emma had a staring match with the baker, Rose looked up forlornly into her caretaker's face. "Yummy?" she asked.

"Sorry, Rose," she said while staring back at Drury, "Apparently you have to pay in blood here and he doesn't like yours."

Emma shot him one more scathing look before abandoning the line. Rose immediately began to cry as they started walking away, her wails the only sound in the whole shop. Emma was boiling. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do: yell at Drury some more or tell Gold what his reputation had done to his daughter. The idea of Gold perhaps feeling some her rage over this injustice made that last thought appealing, but she didn't want to include him in this. This was her fight, not his. Not unless a judge said it was.

Rose was still crying. "Yummy!" she bawled, "Want yummy!"

"Shh, shh, shh," Emma said, bouncing her up and down, "I'm sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry, sweetie."

She sat down on the bench outside the shop to gently rock her, but Rose was still sniffling over her loss. "I know, I know, it isn't fair," Emma said, "But this isn't your fault, okay? No matter what the mean man says, you're not to blame for any of this."

"Yummy," Rose said with a watery hiccup.

"I'm sorry. We'll get some cake at Granny's, okay? She'll do that for you."

Rose buried her face into Emma's blonde hair, tears rolling down her red cheeks even though she'd stopped sobbing. Emma rocked her some more. It was all she could do. She couldn't control what people thought or how they felt. How many others were like Drury and hated Rose simply because she was Mr. Gold's daughter? How many more would reject her? How long would that rejection last?

For the first time, Emma truly regretted the DNA test. Maybe she'd done the wrong thing in looking for Rose's father.

"Uh, Miss Swan?"

Emma looked up and saw that Marco was standing by the bench. "Hey Marco."

"I bought this for the child." He handed her the little brown paper bag. Inside was an Oreo brownie.

Emma blinked down at Rose's favorite treat. "Marco, you didn't—."

"Mr. Drury was very wrong. She is a beautiful child, no matter who her parents are."

Emma smiled back at him. "Thank you."

"Oh Emma!" Mrs. Shoeman called as she came out of the bakery, holding her own brown bag, "I accidently ordered two of those brownies. Does little Rose want one?"

Emma stared at Marco and then Mrs. Shoeman. "What?"

Then Walter bounded out of the shop with another paper bag. "I got one for you, sweetie!"

Rose was laughing at the sight of three brownie being offered to her by three different people. She clapped her hands and shouted, "Yummies! Yummies!"

Emma let out a chuckle. "Um, she only needed one, but thanks you guys. That was very sweet of all of you."

In the end, Emma was stuck with three brownies. Rose had one right there on the bench with her three friends all smiling at her and stroking her hair. Emma wiped the frosting off of Rose's face when she done. Perhaps Drury and others like him would hate her now, but the ones who truly loved Rose would simply love her all the more for this. That was enough for Emma.

* * *

August Booth decided that he had to say something to Mr. Gold, he couldn't let what had happened rest on his conscious…which still sounded like the sweet cricket now town psychologist. That was why he made his way down the streets of Storybrooke towards the familiar pawn shot. A lot of townsfolk were eyeing the shop but August knew they were only trying to catch a glimpse of the owner.

He did feel sorry for Emma and Rose; the little kid was being watched by everyone now that they knew who her father was. He had meant what he said to Emma about Gold though…despite all of the terrible things the Dark One had done he had no doubt the man wanted to be a father to his child. Especially after the lengths he'd gone to just to see his son again.

Mr. Gold was not hiding in the back of his shop; rather he was in the front and carefully repairing a Victorian dollhouse. August couldn't help but smile a little at that, was there any doubt why he was working on this particular piece.

"Well it's pretty but she's a little young for that, don't you think?"

Gold looked up and eyed him with real hatred, but the man was almost always calm. "Perhaps, for now. But children grow rather quickly."

"I'll take your word for it," August replied.

"What _are_ you doing here?" Gold asked, "I know you're not sorry."

He was right about that. "I came to offer you my congratulations," he explained, "You might not have your son back, but your daughter is adorable, really."

Gold just stared at him; he wasn't about to thank the man for the compliment. Not when he despised him so much.

"And…I wanted to let you know that everything you told me about her mother…I won't say a word," August assured him.

"I didn't doubt that," Gold said calmly.

"But this whole mess with you and Rose…it's distracting Emma."

"Ah, so that is why you are really here," Gold stated, now he looked rather smug, "You want to make sure the Savior remains on course."

"I don't have a lot of time."

"Well I have all of the time in the world, there are no constraints on my work. I have no problem with waiting for as long as it takes." The man smirked at August.

"You want this curse broken just as much as I do."

"Yes but right now my daughter means much more to me than saving your life," Gold told him, "I will have her…and if that means watching you die…well honestly that is just another perk."

August glared at him. "So you won't help me."

"It wouldn't be in my best interest to do so…but I'm not going to hinder you either."

He stared at Gold for a minute, deciding that was the best deal he could get. "Well I guess that's all I can ask, don't stand in my way."

"Or you mine, if you do well enough I'll try to resist the urge to burn you when you turn back into wood."

August blanched, not hiding his shock now. "How did you know?"

Gold smiled. "A simple matter of deduction. You have to have been from our land, I knew the wardrobe could fit two, and I don't have any little wooden boys in my shop."

Of course it really would be that simple. He'd made the curse; he'd known about Emma, undoubtedly he'd known of the way to keep her safe from the curse. Perhaps he'd even seen his father put him in the wardrobe to protect her. There was no telling what all the Dark One had seen.

He simple nodded. "Well at least we understand each other." He thought about leaving then, there really was nothing more that needed to be discussed…except one thing. "Actually…there is something you should know…about Rose." That perked up Gold's attention, his eyes fastening on his. "I think she might have some magic."

"What makes you think that?"

"Beyond who sired her?" August explained, "I think she can see through the curse. She says things…called me a 'wood boy' actually. She's too young to understand but…but that probably won't stop the Queen from trying something if she knew."

Gold was very serious now, not even looking at him anymore. "That would only be in addition to every other reason," he murmured. No doubt he was right. Rose was his child, that was enough of a reason for the Queen to try and take her from him.

"I thought you should know."

"Well it could be of some use…if you are telling the truth."

August supposed that he couldn't really blame him for that, then again the Dark One never really trusted anybody. "Just keep an eye on her."

"You don't need to tell me how to care for my child."

He shrugged. "Then I wonder what happened to your son."

Gold glared at him as if he wanted to turn him into snail or splinter. "Get out."

August held up his hands. "You don't have to tell me that twice." He was happy to leave this small shop of horrors. He didn't owe the Dark One anything.

* * *

Emma had been dreading this.

She knew Moe wouldn't be happy to hear that his daughter had been having an affair with the man who put him the hospital. It would have been hard even if Gold hadn't beaten him to a bloody pulp. Nobody in this town liked him.

She decided to leave Rose with Granny. Rose might have served to cheer Moe up, but Emma doubted it would have helped. Rose didn't need to see her grandfather have a heart attack anyways.

His hospital room door was open and when Emma stepped in the doorway, she saw she was too late. Moe had the _Storybrooke Mirror_ spread out before him. Mr. Gold and Alayna's pictures stared back at her from the front page. No doubt Moe was on the verge of memorizing the whole article.

"Hey," Emma said, her stomach churning.

Moe looked up at her with haunted blue eyes. The man was already broken in body, now this had broken his soul. "Is it true?" he asked her.

Emma sighed as she stepped fully into the room. "I wanted to tell you in person. I'm sorry about all of this."

"You went to the papers?"

"No!" Emma cried, "I swear to God, I never told them anything. They found out some other way."

"Do you think he did it?"

Emma shook her head. "He keeps to himself, you know that."

Moe dropped the paper into his lap. He put his face into his hands and she could hear his muffled cries, "My daughter! My poor, sweet, Alayna. How could he do this to her?"

Emma walked to the side of his bed. All she could do was put a hand on his shoulder. She didn't have any answers to give him.

"Oh that monster!" His hands balled up into fists. "I never thought…I didn't think _he_ could be so disgusting!"

"I don't—." Moe didn't let her speak.

"I told her not to take that job. But she insisted we needed the money and it was the only way. God, it must have been going on from the beginning. He must have wanted her for years and then with Geoffery gone he caught her when she was vulnerable, when I was too desperate to look any closer."

Emma blinked at him. "So you think Gold forced Alayna to sleep with him?"

"I know my daughter," Moe said, "She never would have gone to him willingly."

Regina had said the same thing and what Moe said made sense. But there was the rose, the book and just the whole mystery about it all. And what Gold had hissed at her yesterday came back to her. _"You can _never_ know her. Never! You think you do, you think you have her all figured out but none of you do."_

Did Moe really know his daughter as well as he thought?

The fact that she'd had an affair with Gold under his nose and managed to hide the identity of her child's father made it doubtful.

"Look," Emma said, "What happened doesn't matter right now. Rose is what's important here."

"Is he going to take her from me?" he pleaded with a terrified look on his face.

"I…I…uh…" Emma shut her eyes tightly. "He told me he wants his daughter."

"Oh God," he choked out in a sob, "He's going to take her. He's going to take my Rose."

"Moe—."

"How could you do this?" he hissed, "Why would you do this?"

"What?" Emma asked.

"Why didn't you let it go? Why did you tell him?"

"I had to," Emma said, "Once I had proof, he deserved to know he had a daughter."

"That man doesn't deserve anything. He'll hurt Rose. That's what he does, he hurts people."

"Moe, he's never done anything to Rose."

"But he will, and it will be your fault! You should have stopped. None of us needed to know. Rose was happy and healthy without him in her life, now he'll destroy her I know it." Moe glared at Emma with pure rage. "You've ruined her life."

Emma felt her heart stop inside her chest. Oh God, what if he was right? What if Rose had a miserable life now, because of her? Had she actually done this?

Emma swallowed back the oncoming panic. "Moe, I promise I will do everything I can to help you and Rose. I'm on your side, okay? I only want what's best for Rose."

"Then you shouldn't have done this."

* * *

Granny and Ruby were more than happy to have Rose to themselves for a while. Both of them had grown fond of her over the past few weeks. They were more than happy to play devoted aunt and grandmother, spoiling her every chance they got. Spring was only just coming to Storybrooke, but it was mild enough for Rose to play outside as long as she wore her coat.

There was a swing tied to the oak tree that Ruby had used as a child and was meant for guests with kids, though it was rarely used. Rose loved it when Ruby gave her some gentle pushes, laughing the entire time. Granny had some old sock puppet on her arm that she used to entertain her as well.

Eventually. Rose got tired of the swing and took to chasing a butterfly around the garden. There was plenty of space and nothing dangerous around so she was free to roam as she pleased. "Hard to believe," Ruby said.

"What, dear?"

"That that kid with dirt on her pants and leaves in her hair is Mr. Gold's kid."

Granny nodded. "She deserves better than him."

"No argument here."

"If the rumors are true and he really did make a deal with Alayna then he is even more depraved than I thought. If he had made such a proposition to you I'd skin him alive."

"He hasn't," Ruby assured her, "And I could be penniless, out on the streets and I still wouldn't agree to that with him."

"Good girl," Granny said with a smile.

"I feel sorry for Rose though," Ruby said as they watched her toy with the flowers, "Everyone's talking about her and I don't think this is over yet. She's going to be caught in the middle of all of this and all she did was be born."

"I know, but Emma and Mary Margaret will look after her. I have no doubt about that."

Rose grabbed one purple flower and ran back to Ruby, brandishing her gift. "Aww, thank you," Ruby said and bent down to give her a kiss.

"Oh no," Granny said.

"What?" Ruby looked up and saw just what she meant. It wasn't rent day, but Mr. Gold was coming straight towards them. Maybe he'd heard Rose laughing or caught a glimpse of her pink coat from a distance. That didn't matter. He knew his daughter was with them.

"Take Rose and bring her into the inn," Granny instructed.

"What's he going to do? Kidnap her?" Ruby questioned.

"I'm not letting him anywhere near her until a judge tells me to," Granny said, "Now do as I say."

Rose let out a confused sound as Ruby scooped her up and hurried back into the inn. Granny stood in the yard, as unflappable as a stone statue. She had her arms crossed and scowl on her face when Gold finally reached her.

"Rent's not due for another week," Granny said, "What do you want?"

"Don't be coy with me. You know what I want."

"Emma made it clear to me that you don't have a right to her."

"She's my daughter, I have every right."

"She may have your blood," Granny said, "but that doesn't make you her father."

Gold's brown eyes blazed with bitter heat. "I will see her now."

"No you won't."

"Let me try that again," he said coolly, "I will double your rent unless you let me see her."

Granny shook her head.

Gold stepped towards her. "Bring my daughter to me now or you and your granddaughter will be thrown out of your inn."

Oh he meant it. She knew that. But Granny knew if she caved then she was condoning every crime he did to that poor child's mother. "Do it," she dared him, "Let your daughter know exactly what you are."

Gold stared at the inn. Rose was not in view, but she was there. For a moment, there was a softness, a flash of something before his anger grew. "I won't forget this," he promised.

"You never do," she replied. He gave her one more fierce look before her walked away.

It was a hollow victory, but at least she'd won. Rose was safe within her walls, but those same walls were owned by Mr. Gold. It was only a matter of time before he claimed her for himself, just like he did everything in this town.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoO_

Gold wasn't sure who he hated more in that moment: the damned old woman or Regina.

Granny had stood between him and Rose like a blasted brick wall. Her and her unrelenting will. He would have done exactly as he threatened, but he'd seen a glimpse of the future. Not from magic, just his own insight.

If he did as he had said he would, the town would be firmly set against. They were already grumbling over this whole thing. If he turned out Lucas and her wolf of a granddaughter, then they would all rise up to set him away from Rose.

This was Regina's plan.

He wasn't a fool. That former apprentice of his had somehow discovered Emma's test and sent word to the papers. She wanted this whole town against him. She wanted him to fight for his daughter.

Well if that was what she wanted, then he'd be more than happy to oblige her. He'd fought Regina before and won. He would do it again. She wouldn't keep him from his daughter.

He'd kill her if she tried

* * *

A/N: It's Gold vs. Storybrooke. Who do you think will win this fight? Please review, we love to hear what you have to say.

Next Chapter: Mr. Gold begins the legal process to claim Rose for himself and Moe gets out of the hospital, making Emma and Mary Margaret tearfully relinquish Rose back into his care.


	14. An Ending and a Beginning

Disclaimer: Nope, still not ours but if someone is willing to give OUAT to us we will gladly accept it.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: I am sooooo sorry this took so long to get out, especially since it's our shortest chapter yet. Life put a giant roadblock in front of it as family kept coming into town and then we had to start looking for new jobs. But we finally managed to get back to this story after a LOT of prodding from you guys. Thank you so much for the kick in the pants. We needed it.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: Sorry about the wait, RL has a way of taking over sometimes and this is just one of those things that happened. It's hard to work when you are entertaining family, even harder when you are looking for a job. But life is good again so here is an update.

**Anonymous**** Reviews:**

**kana117:** Sorry it took so long, I hope you like this chapter though.

**giu:** Again, sorry it took so long but no we haven't given up on this story. We have big plans for it, no way are we giving up now. Glad you liked chapter 13 though.

**Guest:** Hope this update is everything you wanted.

**Guest:** Here is your new update.

**Karen:** We heard you and here it is, the next chapter and your next fix for your addiction, LOL.

**Idrissa:** Aww, so glad you like this story and thank you for reading.

**Guest:** Hopefully this chapter is just what the doctor ordered too.

**Ello:** I'm so glad you like this story. Don't worry about the ending, we aren't going to change it up that much. Henry will still eat the turnover and Emma will still fight a dragon to save him.

**Mia:** So glad you enjoyed it and I know just what you mean. I hate it when I finish a book too fast, even though it means I loved it, because it always ends too soon.

**reviewer:** You're right, they don't give him a chance, but he's never given them a reason to. Belle will be stuck in the asylum for a little while longer, but she will get out, I promise.

**Guest:** Sorry it took so long for this chapter, but I hope you like it.

**Guest:** Sorry, Belle isn't coming back just yet but Gold will have them both in his life, I promise.

**Blueberrysuite7:** It will be a little while longer for Belle to show up, but I promise it will happen and you will get those cute Belle/Gold/Rose moments you want.

**Guest: ** Your ideas are interesting, but we already have the ending all planned out and it will include Rose with Gold and Belle, that's all I can say right now.

**Guest: **LOL, we always suspected Henry was Rumple's grandson, but Rose is a little young to be calling Henry nephew. However, we do plan to bring out the funny fact that she is his aunt in the sequel we have planned.

* * *

Chapter 14: An Ending and a Beginning

Three days had passed since the _Mirror_ had published the fruits of Emma's investigation into Rose's paternity all over the front page. The paper had moved on, keeping the story in it's back pages, but the town hadn't forgotten. They still whispered, they still gossiped, though none dared to do so to Gold's face. But still, the questions were there.

Right now, Ruby was the one asking them.

"Are you going to arrest him?" she asked Emma, leaning on the counter with her elbows.

"For failing to use a condom?" Emma grinned back at her. "If that was a crime, half the country would be in prison."

"Come on, you don't really think Rose's mother was into him, do you?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe, there's no evidence that says any crime happened," Emma explained, "Unless Alayna shows up and tells me he raped her, then I have to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Ruby took a coffee pot and perked up Emma's half full mug. "I just keep thinking about it."

"Everyone's thinking about it." Emma picked up her cup to take a sip.

"No, I mean _it._"

The coffee turned to acid in her throat, making her choke. She grabbed a napkin before she spit it out all over the counter. "Ruby," she gasped out, "Please tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying."

Ruby shrugged. "It's not like I'm into the guy, I just wonder what he might have done. He seems like the kinky type."

"Ruby…"

"Do you think he tied her up to his bed?" she asked, "Made her wear costumes or stuff? Maybe even a whip or—."

"Ruby!" Emma shouted, "I beg of you please do not finish that sentence. I'm already tempted to cut off my ears with a butter knife."

The waitress gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry." Emma smiled back to assure her she was forgiven. "But I will say, that if he did all of that, then he must be accommodating for _something_." She snickered to herself while Emma shut her eyes and wished the ground would open up to swallow her whole.

Emma nearly wept with joy when Mary Margaret finally walked in with Rose in her arms. No way would Ruby share her musings on Mr. Gold's possible perversions or the size of his _equipment_.

"Sorry, I'm late," Mary Margaret said as she slid into the stool next to Emma. "Rose managed to get a jar of honey and proceeded to shampoo her hair with it."

Emma grinned. "So scratch beautician off her list of future careers."

"She smells good though."

Sure enough, one whiff of her hair and Emma could smell the baby powder scent of her shampoo and the sweet tang of honey. Rose patted Emma's thigh for invitation and she was eagerly scooped up to sit on her second guardian's lap.

"Little troublemaker," Emma teased, "What are we going to do with you when you get older?"

Mary Margaret laughed. "I don't know."

But then all smiles died when Granny appeared from the kitchen. It wasn't the woman that sobered them up, but the reminder for why they were there. Moe was being released from the hospital in two days and Granny wanted to plan a welcome home party.

Emma had actually forgotten that this was going to happen. Rose was never hers. In two days, she would have to pack up all of Rose's things and return them to her real home with her grandfather. On Sunday morning, she would not wake up to Rose's sweet babbles and demands for breakfast. Saturday night, Rose would be gone.

"Hey girls," Granny said and then smiled, "Hello little lamb, you excited to be going home?"

Rose only sucked on her thumb, but did smile back at the older woman. Emma and Mary Margaret looked at one another and then down at the toddler. Emma clutched her just a bit tighter to her chest while Mary Margaret stroked her hair.

"Well, I see two people who aren't so excited."

Emma sighed. "We're glad Moe is finally better but…"

"She kind of adopted us in her own way," Mary Margaret said for her friend.

Granny nodded. "Of course, and you two shouldn't feel ashamed for feeling this way. You love this little girl, that's a good thing."

It was true. Both of them loved Rose as if she were their very own. It actually hurt to be reminded that she wasn't. She was never truly theirs. It had been six weeks, a wild, dramatic six weeks that had revealed so much. But now they were past and Rose was going home.

"You think Moe will allow joint custody?" Mary Margaret asked, half of it a joke the rest a genuine query.

"We'll see how much longer he has her himself," Granny grumbled.

"Gold hasn't done anything yet," Emma reminded her.

"It's the yet I'm worried about."

Emma looked down at her cooling mug of coffee. "Me too," she admitted. She tucked her chin into her chest so she could bury her nose into Rose's hair. Baby powder and honey. It could be the only thing she had left of the girl after two days.

"Now, let's talk about the guest list," Granny said as she pulled out yellow legal pad with a list of names.

Mary Margaret and Emma plastered smiles on their faces. They offered up suggestions of guests, food and decorations, but Emma kept her fierce hold on Rose. Two days. Just two days. She actually wished Henry had been right about the town being froze in time, maybe then those two days would last forever.

* * *

The battle lines for Rose were not drawn yet but Gold was preparing for the inevitable war already. It was a formality that he found ridiculous and pointless, there was never any doubt in his mind that he would have his daughter. He had the power in this land even without magic, money and gold went a long way in this world and in the previous one too.

He was not surprised that the good sheriff was choosing to be difficult, she refused to trust him and that meant she felt it was her duty to protect the child. He knew this would happen, he just hated that it was delaying the inevitable. He would have his child, even Sheriff Swan knew this.

But it had to be done which is why Mr. Gold made his way into the courthouse to begin the legal procedure and gain custody of his daughter.

Luck was on his side because the simpering Jordan Walker was not the clerk there today. Perhaps he'd been unable to make it without his car, now that thought made him smile. But Walker's sins had failed, perhaps Belle was gone but her child had never belonged to him.

No, the clerk working there today was a middle-aged man who looked like a shriveled plum, taut and wrinkled. He looked at Mr. Gold with a bored expression. "What do you want?"

"I need these forms notarized and then sent out to the courts," He replied calmly, setting down the stack of paperwork.

The clerk took one look at the first paper and must have known immediately what was going on. There was a widening of the eyes and a look of disproval at Gold. Word had long since gotten around the small town that he'd fathered a child with the woman no one remembered. Scandal was a recent development to Storybrooke, scandal had first struck with Mary Margaret and David's ill advised affair. Now it was back with perhaps an even more intriguing story, probably because he was not going to share any details at all.

"You are certain?" The clerk asked like a complete fool.

"Well I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," Gold hissed back.

He clammed up after that, shuffling the papers around a bit in order to have something to do. "The courts will have to approve this and then the declaration of intent will be sent to the opposing party. They will have time to respond."

"Yes, yes I know," Gold replied in an irritated voice, "The only thing I care about is that it gets done."

"If the opposing party chooses to contest, then it will need to be settled in court."

"I have no doubts it will be, I also have no doubts that I will succeed."

"I suppose you don't…sir."

He was giving Gold a cold look but he didn't care, it didn't matter was this man thought or anyone else in this town. All that he cared about was his children. He could not have his son yet so he would take his daughter now.

And no one was going to stop him.

* * *

Regina pranced through the hospital, her black heels clicking on the tiled floor as she made her way to the room where Moe French had been forced to stay for several weeks. She was smirking now but as soon as she walked through the door she changed her features to one of a concerned friend.

"Moe," she said as soon as she saw him. "You are looking much better." It was the truth, the man was sitting up, able to move without great difficulty, he was going to be released very soon but that only meant that his troubles were about to begin.

"Thank you, ma'am," He told her kindly, "I'm ready to go home."

Regina smiled. "I'm happy to hear that." Now she frowned again, wanting to appear sympathetic. "I've also heard some truly terrible things…about your granddaughter."

Moe looked very sad after that, sad, upset and myriad of other emotions that showed he was in pain. "I still cannot believe what has happened. I can't believe Alayna would do something like that…with _him_."

"Remember, Moe," Regina said sweetly, "We cannot be sure she consented."

But that did not make the man feel any better. He still shook his head in disbelief. "I do not know what to think about this anymore. She's my granddaughter."

"Yes," Regina replied, "for now…"

That caught Moe's attention. "What are you talking about?"

"Well Rose is Gold's daughter, there is no denying that any longer. And now that he knows…he will certainly push to claim what is his."

"What do you mean?"

Regina leaned forward and gave him a firm look. "Gold is going to push for custody of Rose. He will have a judge grant him paternal rights and he will take her from you."

Now Moe looked horrified. "No."

"He will do this," Regina stated firmly, "and with how much he despises you I have no doubt that you will never see your granddaughter again."

"No," he repeated, on the verge of tears, "No…no that can't happen."

"It will…if we don't fight back."

Moe turned tear filled eyes up to her. "What?"

"I do not want Gold anywhere near Rose, she deserves someone who loves her and has cared for her all of her life," Regina smiled sweetly, "and I will not sit idly by to let a horrid man reap reward for his disgusting actions."

"What will you do?"

"I will help you fight Gold," Regina told him firmly, "We will counter sue him and have a judge force him to give up any claims to her…and he won't ever have her."

Moe didn't look quite so certain, but as long as he did not see the true nature of her visit then she didn't care. She knew he was afraid, that was obvious, but he did not realize he was a mere pawn in this game. It wasn't about winning Rose…no; she was all but certain that was going to end in failure.

It was a good thing her plan depended on that.

"Can we really win?"

Regina nodded and lied to him smoothly. "I know we can."

* * *

Gold had kept an eye on Emma ever since she'd come into town and woken him from the Curse. When he had found out about Rose, he'd kept two eyes on her. But now that it was public knowledge that Rose was his daughter, Emma was the strongest obstacle separating him from her. He was glad to find that the Sheriff was occupied with a minor traffic accident on Birch Street. This meant that Mary Margaret was Rose's watcher for the day and she was far more reasonable to deal with than Emma.

Still, he kept his distance as he watched her draw on the sidewalk with Rose. The teacher was softer than Emma, but she would tell her friend if she saw he was watching his daughter. It was risk, but one he couldn't bear to ignore.

Rose had a pink stick of chalk in her hand and was drawing scribbles on the concrete. Mary Margaret was more intent in her art and seemed to be creating a lesson with it. "R-O-S-E," she said as she drew. "Can you say your name? Can you say Rose?"

Perhaps if she wanted her pupil to pay more attention to her lesson then she shouldn't have provided her with a chalk. Rose was too intent on her own art to pay attention to her name. "Come on, say it with me. Say Rose."

"Look," Rose said instead and pointed to her scribbles.

"Very pretty. Now say Rose, sweetheart, say your name."

He bit back his own laugh when she saw Rose raise the stick of chalk to her mouth, her intent to snack on it quite clear. Mary Margaret giggled as she batted it away. "No, don't eat that. Now can you say your name? Say Rose. Rose."

The toddler eyed her for a moment and then said, "Ose."

"Close, Rrrr-ose," Mary Margaret said, stressing the R.

"Wose."

"Closer. Come on, sweetie. Rrrrrrr," she rumbled out the sound.

"Rrrrrrr," Rose repeated.

"Good, now Rrrrr-ose."

"Rrrrr," Rose said, "Ose."

"Better now Rose."

"Rrrrr," Rose said, "Rrrrr."

"Come on. Rose. Say Rose."

"Rrrrrr…Rose."

Mary Margaret gasped and then clapped her hands. "You did it! You said Rose! Good girl." She scooped Rose up and hugged her close to her chest. "Such a smart little girl."

Yes, his own heart swelled with pride for his daughter, but it should be _him_ who was teaching her to say her own name. It should be _his_ arms that held her close and _his_ lips that kissed the top of her chestnut curls. It was hard not to resent the teacher for that, though it was entirely out of her hands. Still, he'd never been known to be reasonable when it came to his jealousy. Granted, he'd had little cause to feel that particular emotion throughout his many long years. The occasion that came to mind was when Gaston had knocked on his door. Turning him into a flower for Belle had satisfied that feeling.

"Uh, Mr. Gold?"

He turned around to give a black look to the man who dared to stop him from watching his own daughter at her games. It was Dr. Hopper, the keeper of his most valuable secret: his son.

"What do you want?" he asked, "Come to tell me to leave?"

Hopper shook his head. "No. I don't see any harm in you seeing your child."

"Well that puts in the same minority as me," Gold said, "The rest of this town seems intent on building a wall between me and her."

"They are concerned, you don't have the best reputation around here."

"I'm well aware of who I am and what I do. Just as the good sheriff has a reputation and yet only Regina stands as her opposition to what she wants."

Hopper nodded. "I suppose you see most everyone here as hypocrites. They encourage Sheriff Swan to see her son and yet shield Rose away from you."

"Yes, that's one way to put it," he said bitterly. The truth was that he had expect no less from them, but he couldn't help how it pricked his side to see everyone covering for Emma when she spent time with Henry. No one would do that for him.

"Emma is honest about her past," Hopper pointed out, "Perhaps if you enlightened people more about yourself then they would be more willing to let you see Rose."

Gold narrowed his eyes at him. "Have you been telling people about what I told you?"

"Of course not. I take doctor-patient confidentiality very seriously."

"Good."

"But if you did tell people about…well it would garner more sympathy," Hopper said.

"I don't want their pity," Gold sneered.

"No, not pity, more like understanding. You've been separated from one child, you deserve to be with your daughter even more because of that."

Gold looked the psychiatrist over carefully. He had become a good judge of character during his long life. It was how he'd known Regina would succumb to her darkness and become the terror that she was—though even he would admit he couldn't have predicted his inability to control her. It was also how he'd known Belle would be the perfect companion for him. She was brave, strong and willing to sacrifice herself for the good of her people. If he'd asked that she be thrust up on a spike and roasted over a fire instead of to be his caretaker, she still would have agreed.

Yes, he could judge a person very well which is why he had known the doctor could be trusted with his secret. And he was right. If he did tell them about his son, then that would earn him more sympathy and fewer closed doors. But it would also show him as weak. No doubt, Regina was already cashing in on what Rose meant to him. She wouldn't hesitate to hurt him by using his son somehow. She'd already gotten him into trouble by having Moe steal Belle's chipped cup. She would do worse with Bae's memory.

"I don't need their understanding," Gold said, "I will have my daughter soon enough."

Hopper didn't appear surprised by that announcement. Most everyone knew he would be suing for custody. "I don't doubt your intentions and I believe you truly want her, but I do worry about what this stress could do for her."

Stress? What did he mean by that? Rose would come to no harm from any of this. His concern must have shown on his face when he cast a brief look to his daughter. "Custody battles can be very hard for children," Hopper explained, "She's a sweet girl, but very young and she's very aware of her surroundings. She'll know something is wrong. She may even resent the change."

"Are you saying I shouldn't have my daughter?" he growled at him.

"No, not at all, I'm just trying to urge caution," Hopper said, "Rose is the primary concern here. I just want to make sure she'll be well."

Gold nodded. "Yes, Rose is the primary concern and she will be well under my care. I can promise you that."

He was tired of talking with the cricket. He'd ruined his brief bout of peace in seeing his daughter with his prattle about caution and sympathy. Gold would never let his daughter suffer anything. She was strong, like her mother. She would be happy with him, happier than she ever could be with that monster they called her grandfather. He would love her, care for her and cherish her the way he should have done with Belle. He'd thrown away his chance with her mother. He wouldn't do the same for Rose.

* * *

Mary Margaret and Emma didn't talk about what would happen on Sunday when Moe would be released. They knew what it meant and neither one of them cared to think about it much. So they said nothing as they packed up Rose's clothes and toys into her little suitcase and several duffel bags. But the day came anyways, despite their silence on the matter.

Michael Tillman came by with a truck to help them bring Rose's crib back to Moe's house. Emma held Rose tightly as they loaded up every trace of the fact that the toddler had invaded their home and filled that empty space they didn't know they had. "I don't know what's wrong with me," Emma said to Rose, "I didn't even want you. You were a nuisance from the beginning."

Rose said nothing, but she did look up into Emma's face as she spoke. "I should be glad," Emma continued, "I'm getting my life back."

But when Rose smiled and said, "Emmy," she broke. Two tears rolled down her cheeks and she buried her face into Rose's hair. "It's not fair. You're as much mine as anyone else, why can't I just keep you?"

No, it wasn't fair. But that was the way it was. Rose had a family who wanted her back. Emma couldn't deny her that, especially since she had lacked that her entire life.

Mary Margaret's own eyes were red when Emma joined her outside. Michael Tillman had already left for Moe's house. Now it was up to them to deliver the final, most precious package. Emma was going to put Rose in her car seat, but Mary Margaret gently put a hand on her arm and shook her head.

So Emma drove the car while Rose sat in Mary Margaret's lap the entire way to Moe's house. She kept her composure for the sake of her friend, but she saw the tears Mary Margaret quietly shed. They were both glad that Rose was oblivious to their pain. She had endured quite enough for her age, she didn't have to understand the troubles of her two companions.

"Let's focus on being happy for Moe," Emma said once they made it to his street, "He's finally better and think about how happy Rose will be see to him again."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Yes, we'll do that."

Ruby had gotten the day off from Granny to help them with the unpacking, cleaning and decorating for the party. They saw her red car already parked in front of the house. She was leaning up against the side and waved to them as they drove up.

"Here we go," Emma mumbled under her breath. She and Mary Margaret forced themselves to smile as they climbed out of the yellow Bug.

"Hey!" Ruby called out brightly when she saw them. They were doing their best to be cheerful, but it must have not have been enough. "Oh guys, don't be sad. It's not the end of the world, she'll just be across town not in Europe.

"Yeah, we know that," Emma said, "We just got used to having her around."

"You'll see her all the time and this time you won't have to change her diapers." Yeah, that was a plus, Emma had to admit.

Michael had to help them with the crib right away because he had to return to his job. With two kids who needed food and clothes, Emma couldn't begrudge him that. She even gave him twenty bucks for his help, though he did try to refuse the money from her.

Seeing the crib back in it's original place reminded Emma of the first week they had Rose. She'd found her sleeping in her crib in the early morning after Valentine's Day. Then the next day, David had helped them disassemble the crib and pack up those very same clothes and toys they were now unpacking.

Rose was sequestered into her playpen while they worked. Her giggles and babbles mixed with words were all they listened too until Ruby found a radio and tuned it to her favorite station. Rose loved the music, even standing up in her pen to bounce around in her own toddler version of dancing. Ruby then scooped her up and set her on the floor so they could all take a break and dance around with her. For a moment, they all forgot that tonight they would leave, but Rose would stay.

The nursery was fully unpacked and organized exactly to the way it was before Moe had been hospitalized. Of course, it wasn't exactly the same. Some sort of veil had been lifted off of the room: it's secrets were out. Emma kept stepping on the creaking floor where Alayna had hidden her Rose. When she went to the closet, she saw Alayna's books and remembered finding the book that was a present from Mr. Gold, the father of her child.

Emma found herself standing over Rose's crib and wondering how many times Alayna had done the same. When she was around Rose, Emma could feel Alayna's presence like a ghost, but as she stared at the pictures and knickknacks that had built her life they didn't feel real to her. Gold was right about one thing, she actually knew very little about the woman who had given birth to Rose.

It was Mary Margaret's idea to completely clean the house for Moe. They mopped his floors, dusted his furniture and cleaned out his refrigerator. Ruby even went out and bought him some fresh groceries so he would be all set for the first couple of days at least. Rose took her afternoon nap when they moved on decorating.

They hung a "Welcome Home" banner in the living room and arranged some colorful balloons that was sure to entertain Rose at least. At four o'clock, the first guests had arrived with food. Granny brought her famous pies and a tray of mini quiches. Others brought chips, cookies, pastries and the usual party fare.

Moe was scheduled to be released from the hospital at five. Emma and Mary Margaret dressed Rose up into a pretty white lace dress with a blue underskirt. She was as pretty as a china doll, hopefully they could keep her from staining it permanently.

A five-fifteen, the car bearing Moe French pulled up to the house. Moe walked through the door, blinking in shock when everyone announced "Surprise". But that wasn't the only shocker. Right behind him was Regina dutifully carrying his shabby suitcase.

Billy had been assigned to pick up Moe from the hospital, not Regina. The mayor gave everyone a warm, friendly smile that still didn't reach her eyes. "Well, isn't this sweet. I'm sure our friend Moe really appreciates all of this."

"Oh yes, I do," he said.

Emma was still staring at Regina, trying to figure out what she was up to, when Mary Margaret stepped forward and gently pushed Rose towards her grandfather. That was all of the encouragement the child needed. She ran into his arms, shouting out "Gampa! Gampa!" over and over again.

Moe peppered her face and hair with kisses as he held her close. Emma didn't feel a pang of jealousy in that moment like she thought she would, she was truly happy that Moe finally had his granddaughter back. Rose loved him so much and she had really missed him. This was who she needed in her life.

Moe was reluctant to let go of Rose as he made his way through the party, thanking his friends for their help and smiling as they filled him in on stories about Rose. Everyone wisely held their tongues about Rose's father while in his presence. For tonight, Mr. Gold didn't exist.

Emma cornered Regina by the dessert table. "Sheriff Swan, would you like some of my famous apple crumble?" she asked sweetly.

"Why did you bring Moe home from the hospital?"

"You certainly don't waste any time on small talk, do you?" Regina said, "I was simply being nice."

"You don't know Moe."

"I haven't had the time in the past to get to know him, no. And that is something I regret. He's a good man and a devoted grandfather."

"You don't have to sell him to me," Emma said, "I just want to know what you're up to."

"I always need to have an agenda with you, don't I?"

"Because you always do."

Regina gave her a tight smile. "I've been working with Moe to prepare for his case. Since I was with him, I thought it would be nice to bring him home."

"His case?" Emma asked, "The charges against him were dropped."

"His custody case," Regina said.

"Gold hasn't filed."

"He will," Regina stated, "Don't pretend you believe otherwise. I'm trying to get a head start on him so we'll be ready when it comes."

"You're acting like it's going to be a war," Emma said.

"It will be. Gold will give everything he's got to get his daughter. He'll drag Moe through the mud, probably Alayna too. I can hit back with his own reputation, but it's never bothered him before. Make no mistake, sheriff, this isn't going to be easy. Moe could very well lose Rose forever."

Emma shook her head. "I won't let that happen."

"One insignificant woman against a man richer than Midas?" Regina let out a laugh, "I look forward to that."

Regina returned to mingling with the other guests. Clearly if what she said was true, it didn't seem to bother her one bit. The same couldn't be said for Emma. Once again she was left with the battle that Rose deserved to know her father and yet uncertain if she had done the right thing. She saw Rose tugging on her grandfather's arm as he talked to Marco, trying to get him to play something probably. Moe just laughed and ruffled her hair. Would these be their final weeks together?

Emma saw Henry munching on some cookies with the Tillman twins. She had to see him in secret most of the time, and if Regina wanted to take him away from her she very well could. She could easily see Gold barring Moe from ever seeing Rose again. What would happen to Rose in life like that? Right now she was vibrant and cheerful, but would a life with Gold turn her into a pale creature with no joy in her heart? It was hard to fear the worst when it came to him.

The party began to die down and the guest to wander off. Regina took Henry home at eight. By nine, Rose was groggy and ready for bed and Mary Margaret and Emma were the final guests to depart. They would have stayed all night, but it was time to say goodbye.

"I'm glad to see you back on your feet," Mary Margaret said.

"Thank you," Moe said, "And thank you again for taking care of Rose for me."

"It was our pleasure," Emma said.

Moe nodded coolly to her. She knew he still wondered if she was loyal to Mr. Gold. Perhaps he would never forgive her for finding out the truth, no matter how good her intentions had been.

"You're going to be pretty busy getting your shop back in order," Mary Margaret said.

"Unfortunately, yes," Moe admitted, "My associate, Caleb, has helped, but there are still bills I need to pay and I'll have to work harder to get everything back to order."

"Well if you need any help, just call us," Emma said, "We're happy to babysit."

"That won't be necessary," Moe said hastily, "I can handle Rose just fine."

"I'm sure you're can, we're just trying to help."

"You've done quite enough," he said with a bit of a bite to his words. He softened after moment and smiled. "I'd like to spend more time with Rose to make up for these past six weeks."

"Of course," Mary Margaret said, "but if you change you're mind, we're just a phone call away."

They were out of things to say which meant it was time to say the hardest thing they ever had to: goodbye. Rose was resting on Moe's shoulder, her large brown eyes heavy with sleep. Emma combed her hair with her fingers and then bent down to kiss her forehead. "Goodbye, Rose."

Rose let out a murmur and rubbed one hand over her eyes. Mary Margaret kissed her too and promised to see her soon. They both waved at her before they turned around to walk away.

The car ride back to the apartment was completely silent. They didn't shed any tears or even so much as glance at one another. Emma wasn't even sure if she saw any stop signs or traffic lights as she drove. She kept thinking about every happy little moment she had with Rose. Ruby was right before, she was just across town. But it certainly felt like she was hundreds of miles away.

Emma unlocked their apartment and flicked on the lights when they stepped inside. That was when it hit them. The space they had cleared for Rose's crib was still there, but it was gone. Her box of toys that rarely actually held them was gone too. The TV where she watched her cartoons was dark. The only thing that remained of her was the scribbles she'd drawn on the walls and a few pictures Mary Margaret had stuck on the fridge.

Emma couldn't remember who broke first. One minute they were staring at every inch of space that reminded them of Rose, the next they were clinging to each other and crying.

Six weeks ago, Rose had been thrust into their lives, bring with her all sorts of chaos. Emma had though six weeks would be too much and last forever. Who would have thought that they would end far too soon.

* * *

A/N: So Mary Margaret and Emma are finally alone again. I kind of want to give them a hug, don't you? Please review and tell us what you think.

Next chapter: Moe gets served with the custody papers and gets into a scuffle with Gold. Regina tells Gold she's representing Moe and Emma realizes that war has indeed come to Storybrooke with Rose caught in the middle.


	15. Battle Lines

Disclaimer: OUAT belongs to people far richer than us. Only Rose is ours.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: My plan was to work on Of Curses and Broken Things before working on this chapter, but I couldn't wait. We're so close to the trial and this is only the start of it. I hope you all like this chapter, there is some good stuff with Emma and Gold and Gold and Regina that I think are awesome. And Rose is as adorable as ever. And yay! We reached 400 reviews!

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: This was a nice little chapter, call it the gathering storm LOL. the next chapter is going to be HUGE as the trial starts and the town takes sides. I can't wait for you guys to see what Gold has in store for everyone.

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**loveonce4ever:** I'm so glad you liked it. I hope you like this chapter just as much.

**Guest:** No, not exactly. Life and work tend to get in the way of updating in time with the show, plus we are playing with the timeline of the show so it would be hard to do. But, we try not to change the entire story of the show, mostly we're just adding an adorable character to the mis.

**Mia:** Sorry, you won't see Gold with Rose in this chapter. It will still be some time before that happens, but not too much longer, I promise.

**Reviewer:** Yep, Regina needs to butt out but she won't listen to me, LOL. You'll see about the scuffle I'm talking about. And don't worry, Mary Margaret and Emma are going to be happier in this chapter.

**Guest:** We are not going to turn Moe into someone to hate because to be honest, we don't hate him ourselves. He's flawed and I wanted to kick him for trying to drag Belle across the town line, but I don't think any of that was done with malicious intent. He is a father who wanted to protect his daughter. I think he might want to make Belle's decisions for her, but that doesn't make him evil, just flawed. You'll see him just like that, good but flawed.

**prttykitty7728:** Here is more. I hope you like it.

**giu:** He could see her if they let him, but unfortunately Moe has the right to exclude him if he wants to at this point. Yeah, it is painful to see him without Rose, but that's just part of the journey. Regina is pretty bad, and she's only going to get worse. Look out for her.

* * *

Chapter 15: Battle Lines

It was Wednesday. Waffle day at Granny's and three days since Emma and Mary Margaret had seen Rose.

It was weird going to work and not seeing Rose's playpen in her office. Weirder still not hearing her lullabies at night. Heck, she even put the cartoons on in the morning because it just seemed strange not to. Mary Margaret even came home yesterday and asked if Rose was with Granny. There lives had been wrapped around one little girl and it was hard unraveling them back to the way they were before. They didn't really want to.

They sat at their table mostly picking at their waffles. On a whim they had both ordered them with chocolate chips, Rose's favorite. Big mistake.

Mary Margaret sighed. "We need to perk up."

"Probably shouldn't have ordered the waffles if we wanted to do that."

"It's not like Rose is gone forever," Mary Margaret said, "She's just across town. She's home, where she belongs."

"You don't think I told myself that?"

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just…it sucks," she said.

"Yeah," Emma agreed, "It really does."

Ruby came buy with a half full pot of coffee to replenish their cups. "How's it going?"

"Fine," they both answered in a monosyllabic tone.

"Well isn't this the fun table this morning," Ruby said dryly, "You two need to cheer up. She's not dead, just back home."

"Thanks," Emma said with a forced smile, "We'll try that."

Ruby wasn't exactly known for her bedside manner, at least not when it wasn't a life threatening problem. Her idea of cheering someone up when they were down was pouring them a drink, but it was too early for that. So she did the best thing she could.

She caught Granny's eye and nodded toward the Gloomy Twins. Granny took the hint and made her way over to their table. "How are you two holding up?" she asked with a sympathetic tone.

"We're doing okay," Mary Margaret said.

"We miss her," Emma admitted.

"I'll bet you do. She had everybody wrapped around her finger the first day we met her," Granny said, "I miss seeing her pretty face too."

"Now I know what it feels like to lose a kid in a divorce," Emma said.

That made Granny laugh a little before she reached over to pat her shoulder. "It will get better. Maybe you can call up Moe, ask if you can see her for a little bit."

"I don't think we have to." Mary Margaret was facing the door to the diner and now she was pointing at it. Emma swiveled in her seat so she could look over her shoulder. Moe stood in the doorway with Rose in his arms. She smiled when she spotted her former caretakers. "Emmy! Mawry!"

She wiggled and squirmed until Moe had no choice but to put her down lest he drop her. Rose ran for them immediately. Emma caught her and scooped her up. "Rose," she whispered into her chestnut curls. She smelled just like she remembered. "I missed you so much."

"Miss you. Miss you." She might have just been repeating what she'd said, but Emma hoped that Rose meant it too.

Emma only got to hold Rose for a moment before Mary Margaret opened her own arms to demand a turn. Rose reached for her, so the choice was out of Emma's hands. There was some resentment when she gave her up, just a touch.

"Moe," Emma said with a smile, "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Well Rose kept saying 'waffles' this morning," Moe explained, "And I figured out you must have had a routine."

"Yeah, she loves Granny's waffles," Emma said. To prove her point, Rose was already reaching for Mary Margaret's plate, covering her hand in the sticky syrup.

Moe took up a spot in the empty booth across from them. "I'm actually glad I found you both here."

"You are?" Emma asked.

He nodded. "You see…before everything happened, I spent most of my time in the shop so Rose had her own playpen in the back where Caleb and I could watch her. But now that she's older she's a bit more…curious."

"You can say that again."

He smiled a little. "Yes and because of my lengthy stay in the hospital, my bills have piled up and so I need to find more clients and that means making more deliveries."

"And Caleb can't run the shop and watch Rose at the same time," Emma figured out where this was leading. She was already smiling. "Do you need someone to watch Rose for you?"

Moe nodded. "Just during the day, if you don't mind."

"No, of course we don't," Mary Margaret burst in to say.

"That would be great," Emma agreed, "We really missed her."

"She missed you both too. She's been asking for you a lot." He looked down at his hands for a second. "I probably should have brought her sooner."

"It's okay, you wanted to spend time with her," Mary Margaret said.

Emma could tell from the shamed look on his face that it wasn't just that. He hadn't completely forgiven her yet for finding out about Gold and Alayna, even more for telling Gold he was Rose's father. But maybe he was beginning to see that she wasn't on Gold's side here.

"I really should thank you again for everything you did," Moe said, "Not just for taking care of her, but teaching her stuff. I haven't really had the time. I hope she hasn't fallen behind on anything."

"Oh no," Mary Margaret assured him, "She's very bright. She picks things up right away."

"Yeah, she's smart." _Like her father_, Emma couldn't help but think. Now that she knew, she realized Rose was clever. She was always good at figuring things out. Well, she had to get something else from Gold besides his eyes.

"That's a relief. And thank you again for doing this."

"Seriously, we should be thanking you," Emma said, "Our place has felt empty since she left."

Mary Margaret smiled. "How about you join us for breakfast?"

"Okay, Rose clearly would like that." The toddler had been picking apart Mary Margaret's waffle with her fingers. Her cheeks, lips and even her nose were covered in maple syrup.

Emma just smiled at Rose. Finally, the hole she'd left behind had been filled.

* * *

In the midst of beginning legal proceedings to gain custody of his daughter, Mr. Gold knew that he needed to pick up a few things from the local drugstore. The most important item was tea and sugar; he would need the relaxing brew that reminded him of his true home. He made his way through the tight aisles of the store, he only needed a few things, which is why he simply ignored the probing eyes of the dwarf turned pharmacist. Just like everyone else, he was curious about the gossip going around the town.

Gold picked up a box of his favorite tea and turned down another aisle when he saw that someone was shadowing him.

Henry Mills was not a very good spy but he gave the young boy credit for trying.

"If you're trying to be sneaky, I suggest you take more lessons from your birth mother," Gold told him slyly.

The boy looked a little embarrassed but not much, he had his mother's strength, the one that came from his grandparents. "I'm just looking around."

He let Henry see that he didn't believe him for a minute. "Are you spying on me for your mother or the sheriff?"

"They don't know I'm here."

Ah so it was just to satisfy his own curiosity. "Well, out with it. What were you hoping to uncover by following me to the store?"

"I was just wondering."

He kept his face impassive but he was a bit amused. "Wondering what?"

"What you were going to do about Rose."

Now Gold wasn't finding this so entertaining. He wasn't sure if Henry thought he would be a monster or not, in the end it didn't matter. He didn't care what this child thought of him.

"I can't talk about that."

Henry didn't look convince though. "Everyone thinks you did something bad."

"I don't care what everyone thinks."

"Do you really hate Moe?"

He clenched his fists then but kept his mouth shut. The answer to that question was certainly 'yes' but Gold had no desire to try and explain that to a child. "Why do you want to know?"

Henry looked into his eyes. "To see if that is the only reason you want Rose."

"And what do you think?"

"I don't know yet." Well that was something; Henry was waiting to gather more evidence to make a decision. He was already miles ahead of most of the town's residence in maturity. Henry was still studying him with his quizzical gaze. "Emma and Mary Margaret are watching her again."

Gold turned around to stare at Henry once more. "Again?"

"Moe asked them to watch her during the day."

He couldn't hide his astonishment at that statement. "Did he now?" But his mind was racing with the new information, gleeful at the idea that he now knew where Rose would be during the day. He could keep an eye on her until he was given full custody of his child.

"Are you going to see her?"

That was a nice thought, but not possible at the moment. "Sheriff Swan would never let me."

"So?"

Gold couldn't help but smile now. "Whose side are you on exactly, Henry?

"I don't know yet," Henry admitted.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not sure if you are bad for Rose or not." Henry told him calmly. "I know she loved you…and you loved her, but you pushed her away. I think maybe you want Rose because you miss her, and that's not bad at all."

Gold was honestly shocked by this, by Henry's observations. He knew the boy was astute and probably aware of the curse…he just didn't know that Henry knew this much. He thought about proving the boy wrong…but couldn't.

Instead he smiled softly. "I wish more of the people in Storeybrook were as insightful as you."

He saw Henry smile a little as he turned away.

Perhaps the boy was on his side, it was an unlikely ally but Gold wouldn't turn it down.

* * *

Most times Storybrooke was pretty quiet, but today Emma had been busy. A bunch of boys from the middle school led by a kid named Barry were running around, making mischief. Mostly painting brick walls, toilet papering yards, basic kids stuff. Still, it wasn't fun when eight people called to complain about lawn ornaments being stolen or wet toilet paper stuck in their trees. There wasn't much Emma could do but figure out a way to round up the boys and make them clean it all up.

That had taken all day and what she desperately needed was a cocoa to perk her up. Ruby got her order quickly and Emma nursed it at the counter. She groaned when she heard her phone ring. It was relief to read Mary Margaret's number on the screen. "Hey, what's up?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I've got Rose."

"Really?" A smile appeared on her lips. "Did you kidnap her?"

She chuckle. "No. Moe said he had some stuff to do so he dropped her off."

"Did he have deliveries to make?"

"I don't know…actually, he didn't say much. He seemed kind of upset."

That didn't sound good. It could just be money problems considering his stay in the hospital. At least that's all Emma hoped it was.

"Okay, well I'm on my way."

"Good, she was asking for you."

That brightened Emma's mood considerably. "Aww," she said with delight, "I'll be there soon. You tell her that."

"Okay. See you then."

Emma took one last sip of her chocolate and then set it down with a wad of cash. She'd been busy so she hadn't seen Rose for about a week and she really had missed her. Maybe she'd stop by the bakery and get her the Oreo topped brownies she loved so much. It did occur to Emma that only a few weeks ago it had been her job to prevent overindulging Rose, and that now she was the one spoiling her, but she didn't care. One brownie wouldn't hurt.

She saw Mr. Gold as she was crossing the street, pausing to stare at him as he went on his usual rounds for rent. Had it really only been two weeks since she learned he was Rose's father? Why did it feel longer?

The waiting. She knew he would do something, he'd made that very clear when he'd tried to collect Rose the day after the test returned. She hadn't spoken a word to him since, but she knew that every eye in town was on him. Most wanted him no where in the same county as Rose, a few decided they wanted nothing to do with Gold or his illegitimate daughter. But everyone wanted to know what he would do next.

Emma let Gold go about his business. Or would have had she not noticed Moe French on the other side of the street coming straight towards her…no, not her. Gold.

No one could have predicted what happened next, not even Gold.

Moe didn't stop, he just reeled back his arm and delivered one solid punch to Gold's jaw. The sound of knuckles hitting hard flesh made everything in the small town stop.

Gold staggered back, very nearly falling because his bad knee. He managed to regain his balance with the use of his cane. The look of rage that flashed in his dark brown eyes spurned Emma into action.

He got in one good lick with his cane before Emma dove between them shouting, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! No! Stop this!"

Gold didn't take another swing with his cane, for which she was grateful. Moe did make another push, but she shoved him back. "Stop it, Moe! Cool down, both of you!"

Moe backed down, but no one was fooled. Both men were boiling with fury and only one blonde woman was holding them back. It was doubtful that would keep them apart for long.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?"

"This!" Moe held up a sheaf of wrinkled papers in his hand. Emma took them and read for herself what she'd known and feared was coming.

"A summons to court," she said. She glared at Gold. "You're suing for custody of Rose."

"I'm demanding my rights as her father," Gold said, "Surely you can understand that, Sheriff." Her look grew heated at his words. He could _not_ play the Henry card, not like this.

"You son of a bitch!" Moe shouted. Emma had to push him back. "You can't have her!"

"I will," Gold said.

"You already ruined my daughter's life, I won't let you hurt Rose."

"_Me_?" he seethed with renewed rage, "Rose would still have her mother if it wasn't for _ you_! _You_ hurt her, not me!"

Now that sounded familiar.

"You raped her!"

"I _never_ did that!"

"You forced her!" Moe insisted, "She was vulnerable, still grieving for Geoffrey and you forced her into a deal with you! I know it!"

Emma looked back at Gold for his return, but he surprised her by laughing. It was a cold, bitter kind of laugh that actually gave her chills. "Grieving for that fool?" Gold questioned, "She didn't love him. She never did."

"That's a lie!"

Gold shook his head. "You didn't know her, not the real her. She could never love that superficial boy. You couldn't understand that, you just saw only what you wanted to see."

"I knew my daughter and she never would have been with the likes of you unless she had no choice."

A cold smile curled up his lips. "Surely you know, Mr. French, I always give everyone a choice. And she chose me."

Moe lunged for him again, getting in one feeble hit before Emma could push him away. "No, we're done with that. Let's all go our separate ways now."

"I do believe you have a duty to attend to, Sheriff," Gold said, dripping with smugness, "He assaulted me."

"And you assaulted him."

"I was defending myself."

"Back in that cabin on Valentine's Day?" Emma questioned.

"Those charges were dropped."

"Exactly," she said, "No conviction was given so I can technically refile those charges anytime I want. Now, I'm sure you can get out of them again, but do you really need that right now?"

He read the challenge in her eyes, clearly trying to determine whether or not she was bluffing. It only took a few seconds to see that she wasn't. "Fair enough." He smiled at Moe cruelly. "I'll see you in court."

Moe's face turned red, but Emma's hand on his chest kept him from leaping for his throat. Emma refused to let him go until she saw Gold turn the corner. "You're lucky I got rid of him," Emma said, "Next time I will have to arrest you and that won't help Rose."

"I don't care," he said, "It's clear you're on his side."

"No I'm not," Emma insisted, "I'm on Rose's side. I want to make sure she has the best home."

"He's going to take her away from me," Moe said. Tears were clouding up his blue eyes.

"He's going to try," Emma admitted, "And if you attack him like this again then he will certainly win. You need to get a lawyer and keep yourself away from him. That's the best thing to do right now."

"And what will you do?" Moe asked. Emma sighed, words failing her completely because she had no answer. "You can't possibly believe he'd take good care of Rose. He's a monster."

Sometimes, Emma agreed with that assessment. In fact she would have just minutes ago. But then there were times when she wasn't so sure. It was moments like when he'd first held Rose or whenever Alayna was brought up. The look in his eyes as he told Moe that he hadn't truly known his daughter, she could see the truth there. He had known her and perhaps…perhaps he'd even loved her.

"Look," Emma said, "I'm going to try and help you, I promise, but you need to keep away from him and focus only on Rose. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

She wished that it would be that easy. But Gold had managed to wiggle his way out of ironclad battery charges without any problems. No doubt getting full custody of Rose would be easier than finding a duck on the water, especially with his money. Moe didn't have the power.

She didn't know what she could do or how to stop this, but she did know one thing for certain: war was brewing in Storybrooke. And Rose was the victim stuck in between the battle lines.

* * *

Regina was a bit disappointed she'd missed the fight between Moe and Gold, she'd enjoyed hearing the details but she knew it would have been much more satisfying to watch Gold be hit like that, even if it was from an old man. It might be rather petty but Regina wasn't above small pleasures like that. It didn't detract her from her real goal of bringing Gold down through Rose.

Now she wanted Gold to know it.

She made her way into Gold's pawnshop with a smirk on her face. "I heard there was an assault on the street today."

Gold looked up from some antique candlestick he was restoring. He didn't look happy to see her; then again he never did unless he was the one holding the cards. "Then you know that I was not the instigator."

"Still, you did lash back at my client."

That caught his attention. "Your client?"

Her smiled grew. "I've decided to represent Moe in this custody battle, he'll need all of the help he can get in this situation and my heart goes out to the helpless grandfather whose daughter was seduced by the soulless beast."

He raised an eyebrow at that description but didn't refute it. No, Gold knew that it was actually quite accurate, especially since she knew how he really treated Rose's mother. "Perhaps I am a soulless beast but I didn't murder my own child."

It took a lot of effort to keep from reacting to that, she didn't want him to realize that she was laughing on the inside. He had no idea how wrong he was, Moe was as innocent of hurting Belle as the pretty little maid had been before the imp had seduced her. "Now really, Gold. It cannot be compared; she was carrying your bastard. What is a frightened man supposed to do?"

Gold flinched then, as he always did at the reminder that his whore was 'dead' and he'd forced her out while she was pregnant. "Then perhaps he should be grateful that I'm taking Rose away."

She tsked. "Is that why you want little Rose? Just to hurt Moe? Not very fatherly of you, Gold."

"What would you know about being a parent?" Gold wondered aloud, "Your son seems to prefer his real mother after all."

Regina's smile immediately turned upside down and she wished for magic to lay the man low. "Henry is mine, legally—."

"Yes, just like Rose is legally Moe's, but you know as well as I that fact is going to be changed."

"You are so certain?" Regina told him coldly, "The entire town believes you raped his daughter, no one wants you to have that child."

"Ah, but I've found that money is the only opinion that matters."

"Not always."

Gold smiled. "Now who's so certain? You and I both know that Rose is going to be mine, Moe can barely care for the child and the law favors the _parent_."

"Not when the father forced the mother."

"You and I both know that is nonsense," Gold pointed out, "and it could never be proven."

Regina smirked. "I still cannot believe that foolish girl willingly bedded you, I suppose there is no accounting for taste."

He didn't look happy now, his eyes icy pinpricks. "I told you not to speak of her like that."

"I merely speak the truth," Regina replied coolly, "we both know that only a fool could ever believe you would give up power for something as ridiculous as love."

Now Gold looked positively furious…and guilty. It was an interesting emotion to see on his face, the man actually felt real pain that he'd chosen his own powers over the insignificant maid.

She decided to play with that a bit.

"I am curious, Gold. You rejected her mother, why do you want Rose so badly?"

Gold actually looked pained…but then grew serious. "That was my mistake, one you helped me make. You wanted a second chance so you acquired Henry. This is no different, except that Rose is actually my blood." He was smirking at the last part, which made Regina angry.

But she had her own plans.

"You won't have her," Regina crowed gleefully, "I'll make sure you never see Rose again."

He simply smiled. "Don't make promises you can't keep, dearie."

"We'll see about that."

She turned and walked out of the shop smiling to herself. Despite the moments where Gold had gotten under her skin she considered that encounter a success. He truly believed that she planned to fight this custody battle and win. He had no idea of her true plans.

That didn't include winning this fight; on the contrary, she wished Gold success in gaining custody of Rose.

Because that was actually the first step in destroying him.

* * *

Part of her job as sheriff was to make the occasional nightly patrol. Sometimes she took her car and went cruising down the streets to stop the occasional prowler. Storybrooke was a safe town though, in fact the first real prowler she caught was Graham. Sometimes she just walked the main part of the town where businesses were still open to make sure there wasn't any trouble. Usually there wasn't, but this time she saw a large crowd just outside of Granny's.

It was all men, most of them janitors or handymen around town. Leroy was straight in the middle holding a wad of cash Emma was certain he couldn't have earned in a month's worth of pay. They were whispering heatedly amongst themselves until Walter saw Emma and let out a loud "Shhh".

"What's going on, fellas?" Emma asked with her arms crossed across her chest.

"Nothing."

"How'd you get that money, Leroy?"

"I'm collecting it for the nuns."

"The nuns have a stipend," Emma reminded him, "And they don't accept money, so how about you tell me the truth."

"Look, sister, this is my business. You stick your nose back on your face and butt off."

She'd dealt with Leroy's colorful remarks before and worse in her past, so Emma just brushed it off. He wasn't drunk so she couldn't arrest him, nor did she really want to. Leroy may have been drunk and all around negative person, but he was harmless. Plus, Mary Margaret considered him a friend ever since the Miner's Day festival and she didn't want to upset her roommate.

"Come on, what's going on?" Emma asked again.

"I told you—."

The pitter-patter of footsteps attracted the entire group's attention. It was Gil Harlan, the man who owned the ice cream store. He pushed through the crowd until he managed to get to Leroy. "I've got it," he said between panting breaths, "Fifty on Gold winning the suit."

Emma reached over and plucked the bills from his hands. "You're betting on the custody trial!"

"Not much of a bet," Leroy said, "Only Willy here was dumb enough to put his money on Moe."

Willy was Walter's little brother and a mute at that. He flashed Emma his dopey grin. He probably had no idea he was betting money to begin with.

"You can't do this!" Emma hissed and reached over to wrench the money out of Leroy's hands.

He dodged her attack. "Why not?"

"For one, it's illegal," Emma said, "but also it's immoral. This trial is about the future of a little girl and you're trying to make money off of it."

"Well Gold's finally going to lose some money in this town," Leroy said, "Someone should make a profit from that."

Emma sympathized to a degree. Yes, Gold would be footing a chunk of change towards this trial with legal fees, but it wouldn't break him like it would Moe who was actually struggling to maintain a budget. That didn't change the fact that Leroy was treating this trial like it was a joke. This was about Rose and her future.

"Then celebrate by buying a round of drunks, not starting a betting pool."

She reached for the money again, but Leroy waved it away. "I'll let you in if you want."

"I don't want that!" Emma glared at him. "Just give everyone back their money and go home."

Her phone chose at that moment to ring. Leroy grinned at her, but she chose that opportunity to grab the cash right out of his hand. "Thank you," she said with a grin. She stuffed the money into her pocket, she'd figure out what to do with it later. Her phone was still ringing when she removed it from her belt.

"Emma Swan," she said.

"Ms. Swan, I'd like to have a talk with you tonight."

Emma froze. "Gold?" She'd recognize that rich brogue from anywhere. "How the hell did you get this number?"

"Money opens doors," he said, "but in this case I used the phone book."

She mentally kicked herself for walking into that one. "Is this a conversation I want to be a part of?"

"You have a habit of meddling in everyone's business to begin with, simply see this as an invitation for once."

"Why tonight? Why not tomorrow?"

"I want to get this over with as quickly as possible. I doubt the town will burn down because you missed your patrol."

That was true. Many times Emma had quit her patrol early or simply just set the station's number to call her if there was an emergency. Besides, she knew a demand when she heard one. Better to deal with Gold now then wait for him to track her down. No doubt he would pick the most inconvenient time just to annoy her.

"Fine, I'll come by your shop." He lived there more than his own home.

It wasn't a far walk, she made the trek to his shop in less than five minutes. She could see Gold in the window at the counter. She squinted at him to see what he was doing. The lights were on, but it was still relatively dim in the shop. It wasn't an accounting book or a series of contracts, it was something else.

There was a glimmer of gold and then she saw a peak of pristine white. She took a step closer to confirm her suspicion. It was the chipped teacup, the one he'd somehow gotten after she'd arrested him. Apparently, it was the only thing Moe French had stolen that Gold was willing to kill for. It was another piece of this very odd puzzle that made this man. Emma had forgotten about that cup during all of this mess. The book and the rose had all been treasures Alayna had kept, probably from Gold. Was this cup his only token of her? Some days she believed that Gold had set up some sick deal with Rose's mother, that every hideous rumor about him was true. But in that moment, she believed the less popular theory. Gold could have actually fallen in love with Alayna French and then lost her, leaving him alone and broken. Just like that cup.

Emma couldn't stay out there forever. The answers she wanted wouldn't be found standing outside his shop, looking at him through the window. Only he could give her answers.

She opened the door, cursing that stupid bell when it rang over her head. "Okay, Gold," she said once she walked in, "What do you want from me?"

"My daughter, of course."

Emma shut her eyes and shook her head. "I don't have time for this." If all he wanted was just argue with her for not letting him take Rose to begin with, then he was doomed to be disappointed. She was only following the law, not building a wall between him and Rose.

"I was only being truthful," he said as she turned away, "but I didn't call you to try and persuade you to change your mind. It's far too late for that."

"Then what do you want?" Emma asked.

"I wanted to ask you some questions," Gold said.

"For your case?" she shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Ms. Swan—."

"No," she said, "I'm staying out of all of this. It isn't my fight. I'm not a part of any of this."

Gold let out a chuckle and shook his head. "Emma, don't be naïve, it isn't your color. You _are_ a part of this. You started everything when you opened that paternity test. There is no avoiding it. You might as well accept your role in this trial."

Oh God, he was right. She had been so stupid to actually think she would just be an outsider in all of this. If Gold didn't call her in as a witness, Regina would. She had found Rose's father, had lived with Rose for six weeks. She was going to be the star witness of the whole thing.

"I need a drink," she muttered to herself.

"Now that you're out of denial, I'd like you to answer my questions."

"What the hell," Emma said with a shrug, "It's not like I have a choice in the matter."

Gold smirked at that. She hated that smirk. "I'd like to know when you began to suspect that I was Rose's father."

"About four weeks ago," she said, "When I asked you about Alayna and you lied."

That ripped the grin off of his face. Now it was her turn to smirk. "What made you suspect me?"

"The lie bugged me," Emma said, "And then that night I realized you and Rose had the same eyes. It all fell into place after that."

"Your detective skills are noted," he said.

"Why does this matter?" she asked.

Now he was giving her his hard, disapproving look. She already pitied whatever scrape Rose would get into that would earn her that look. "Why didn't you tell me of your suspicions?"

It actually was a fair point. Why hadn't she just confronted him? Oh she'd thought about it. She'd had a dozen chances, but instead she'd waited until she had undeniable proof. She had wanted to make sure he couldn't talk his way out of the truth. But it was more than that. She couldn't trust him. She still couldn't, not after everything he could of done. She had her own accusing questions she had been dying to ask him.

"Why didn't you come to me?" Emma asked, "You knew I was looking for Rose's father. You even saw her the day after I got her, you could have said something then. Why didn't you?"

Gold took a half a step back, like she struck him with her words. But he regained his famous composure with rapid speed. "I did suspect," he said, "I was always aware that I could have been Rose's father. I was looking into the matter and I had planned to find out the truth for myself in time, you beat me to it."

"Yeah, well you were taking too long."

"And so you took the prerogative to steal my DNA and find out the truth for me."

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for Rose!" Emma shouted, "You are the last man on the face of this Earth that I would pick to be her father. Maybe Charles Manson tops you, but it's pretty damn close."

"Don't be dramatic," he said.

"So says the king of drama," Emma hissed. She shook her head while glaring at him. "Why are you doing this? You can't possibly want the trouble an illegitimate child will bring you."

Gold's eyes snapped at her with a dark fire. "Don't presume to know me, Ms. Swan. Rose is my daughter and I will have her."

"She's not your possession."

"She's my child," he snapped, "My blood. I won't be giving that up, not for anything. I made that mistake once, I won't lose my child again."

For a second, she was too stunned really process what he's just said. Then they hit. _Mistake. Again. Lose my child. Again._

_ Again._

"Again," she whispered the word, "Lose your child…" Gold froze. He was actually shocked himself. He hadn't meant for that to come out, that was very clear. But now it hung in the air between them like giant neon billboard.

"Oh my God," she said, "Rose isn't your first child, is she? You have another kid."

He didn't deny it. He didn't even blink. It took him a moment to gather himself, but he wasn't completely solid like he normally was. Some of the armor he hid behind had chipped. "I had a family once," he said, "I lost them. I lost my son. I won't lose my daughter too."

A son. Gold had a son once. A family. Oh God, he'd been _married_. That fact shouldn't have surprised Emma, considering his age, but still…he'd never even hinted at the fact that he'd had a family once. It was like that had been another man in another life.

"You had a son," Emma said, "A son you told no one about."

"My personal life is no one's business."

"Well right now your personal life is very public," Emma reminded him, "And this…this just proves you're completely made of secrets. What else are you hiding?"

"You're delusional if you think I'm going to answer that."

The fight went out of Emma then. She nodded once. "Apparently I was delusional to believe I could ever get any answers from you."

She was done talking to Gold for the night, maybe even for the year. He didn't say a word as she turned around to walk out of his shop. It wasn't until she reached the door that he called her name. "You do realize you are going to have to pick a side in this," he said.

"And you think I'll pick you?" Emma asked.

"I'd like to think you intelligent," he said, "And you know she needs someone who can provide for her. Moe can barely provide for himself."

"Maybe," Emma said, "but you think this is all about you and Moe, that there are only two sides to this fight. But you're forgetting one person."

She took in a breath and let it out slowly. "Rose. She's caught up in all of this, stuck between you two. So if you want to know which side I pick, I pick hers. She's the only one who really matters here anyways."

Emma looked at him hard in the eye. "Maybe when you realize that, then you'll actually know how to be a father."

This time when she reached for the door, he didn't stop her.

* * *

Her conversation with Gold stuck with Emma the rest of the night and the following day. Mary Margaret had asked if anything was wrong, but she had told her she was fine. A part of Emma wanted to tell her best friend everything. Surely Mary Margaret could understand exactly what this secret meant with Gold.

He had a son. Another child. He had been a father before.

Emma did sympathize with him. Judging from his pain-filled look, it had been a tragedy that had carried his son away. She couldn't imagine anything worse than losing a child. And yet, Gold had done nothing. He had known from the beginning Rose was most likely his daughter and he'd been silent. If he wanted that second chance so badly, why not say anything? Why wait for someone else to do the work for him?

She was completely torn now. This had changed things, opened up another side to Gold she hadn't thought to find. But at the same time, it made it harder for her to trust him. Had he given up on being a father before? How had he even lost this mysterious son to begin with? What kind of person never spoke a word about his dead son and also ignored his probable daughter who was alive and alone?

These questions, doubts and fears plagued her all day. She wound up cutting out of the station a little early, there was nothing major going on anyways. If anyone asked she'd say she'd had a headache.

Mary Margaret was home, nothing surprising there. What was a surprise was that she wasn't alone.

"Emmy!" Rose cried, abandoning her blocks on the floor and running to her.

Gold and his secrets were pushed to the very back corner of her mind. Emma scooped up Rose and held her tight, kissing her cheeks and the top of her curls. Rose made everything better, like chicken soup on a cold, rainy day.

"Moe dropped her off when I got out of school," Mary Margaret said, "He had deliveries he needed to do."

"Okay, great," Emma said with a smile. She loved the idea of having Rose for a couple of hours.

"He said he might be out late so she might stay the night even."

"Really? He goes that late for deliveries?"

Mary Margaret shared her skeptical look. "I think he was going to talk to Regina about the case."

Emma sat down on the couch with Rose on her lap, playing with her hair. "Yeah, I'd heard she was his lawyer. Pretty sure it isn't out of the goodness of her heart."

"This about her rivalry with Gold," Mary Margaret agreed, "She doesn't care about Rose, she just wants to hurt him."

"And maybe Gold doesn't care about Rose he just wants to hurt Moe," Emma said, "Maybe the only people who actually care about her are in this room."

Mary Margaret gaped at her. "You really believe that?"

"I don't know," she breathed out a sigh, "I'm kind of a Debbie Downer today."

Mary Margaret went to the kitchen for a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies. She set it down on the coffee table and took two cookies off of it. One was given to Rose to munch on, the other to Emma to cheer her up. Chocolate was a miracle drug like that.

"How bad do you think this is going to be?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Do you want the truth or a lie?" Emma asked.

"Which ever you want."

She wanted the lie, but the truth just couldn't be denied, not when it was this ugly. "Regina won't back down," Emma said, "Gold won't back down. He'll drag Moe through the mud, probably Alayna too. She'll slam Gold with his own reputation. Gold will point out his ability to provide for Rose and Regina will say that Gold can't give Rose the love and support she needs. They'll bicker back and forth because the only person who really has a say in this can't make this decision on her own."

Rose nibbled at her cookie and looked at Emma an then Mary Margaret in turn. Emma would bet good money that she was aware they were talking about her, but she couldn't figure out what they were saying.

"Maybe it won't be that bad," Mary Margaret said, "Maybe Moe and Gold can figure something out."

Emma shook her head. "They won't. Moe thinks Gold raped and impregnated his daughter and Gold hates Moe for something I can't figure out. Rose is the only thing that connects them right now, if they can control her then they finally have ultimate power over the other. Moe wouldn't know what to do with it if he won, but Regina would. She'd use Rose to hurt Gold and Gold would do the same to Moe. Maybe they both want her because they love her, but a part of it is this needs to beat the other."

"So you're saying it's inevitable," Mary Margaret said, "This is going to be messy."

"War always is."

* * *

A/N: Yep, the lines are drawn and the first blow has finally been delivered. So what do you think? What do you think is going to happen next? If Rose could decide, who would she choose? Review and tell us what you think.

Next chap: Archie is appointed as Rose's guardian ad litem, meaning he represents Rose's interest in the upcoming trial. He has to speak to Moe and the Gold and everyone to determine who in his opinion would be better for Rose. Who do you think he'll choose?


	16. The Voice of Conscience

Disclaimer: Nope, still not ours but if anyone is willing to chip in a buy OUAT for us we will gladly accept donations.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Everyone please put down the fruit, I know this took a lot longer than everyone wanted. What can I say, between school and work and the complications of everyday life, fanfiction time took a major hit. But it's finally here and the trial has finally begun. I would like to note that I have never been to family court and I am certain I am making major mistakes, everything I am doing in this chapter is based off of research on the internet. Still, I hope everyone likes it.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion:Sorry this took so long but Real Life got in the way, it sucks, we know but the fun part of the story really starts now hehehe. REady for the trial of the century?

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**Beni:** Aww, thank you so much for the kind words. I hope you enjoy this update.

**one person:** You're twitching can stop now, here is the cure. I hope you like it.

**MJ:** I'm so glad you liked it.

**Mia:** Here is your update, wrapped up in a silver bow. I hope you like it.

**loveonce4ever:** Yeah, the punch was something I didn't initially intend to do but I really wanted some action here. I figured seeing Gold get punched would be worth it, even though Moe deserves to be skinned for daring to harm Gold's handsome face. I'm not sure about more flashbacks, but you will see Belle in some form or fashion soon, I promise.

**person:** Please don't explode, here this chapter should help.

**kit:** You have some very interesting ideas, I don't know what will happen on the show but I'm looking forward to the finale. As for Auntie Rose, Henry is very family oriented, but considering he's the one reading her fairy tales, I'm not sure he can quite see her as his aunt. But we do have some great idea for the sequel that I think you'll really like.

**giu:** You are absolutely right, this battle should end and both men should compromise. I'm game, but I'm not sure they are, LOL. You will get some father/daughter moments very soon, I promise.

**kana117:** You will see Belle soon, but she may or may not be the living Belle, LOL. You'll have to wait and see how she gets out of the asylum, but it is different from the show I promise. I hope you like this chapter.

**AliceLacieLovat: **Yeah, Gold is never very comfortable talking about his son. He has a lot of regret there. I'm glad you liked the punch.

**Reviewer: **I think I would pick Belle too because she would figure out a way to make everyone happy, but alas she isn't in the picture yet. I did want to show how this whole thing is really putting a strain on Gold, so yeah he let his big secret slip in front of Emma. That will actually come back, so stay tuned.

**prttykitty7728:** Thanks for reading, I"m glad you liked it.

And to the twenty different **Guests**, sorry this took so long and I hope all of you enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 16: The Voice of Conscience

Emma stood in the back of the small assembly room. Storybrooke was too small to have a designated courthouse and there were rarely any actual reasons for one. They used the city hall to house the legal matters that came before the judge. Emma had only been here a few times, but now she had a feeling she was going to get to know this room a whole lot better.

There were two tables set before the stage. Gold sat alone at one while Moe and Regina were situated at the other. Neither man looked at the other. An aisle was set between the two tables, a sort of invisible wall that separated a rows and rows of chairs for the onlookers to sit and watch. Emma had hoped Regina would ask for this to be a private affair, but that was obviously a fool's hope. Everyone wanted to see how this would go down.

Moe's side of the courtroom was filled with the townspeople. Gold's side hosted several as well, but she guessed that was because Moe's side was full. No one sat within the first two rows directly behind Gold. Emma could feel everyone watching her as she found her own empty chair. She had to be here though it was the last place she wanted to be. Just as she'd thought, both Regina and Gold had sent her notices that she was to be called as a witness. She'd already been the star of one trial, did she really have to go through this all over again?

Everyone who had a say in this case was here with one notable exception: Rose. Emma wasn't sure if she was glad that children were not permissible in court or if that it was a grave injustice. In a way, Rose had a right to see who was making her decisions and what would become of her.

The murmurs and whispers of the gossip faded away when a man in a long black robe stepped onto the stage and took a seat at the pedestal. "All rise for the honorable Judge Hawthorne."

The judge had a wealth of golden curls on his heads, streaked with grey at the temples. His large brown eyes took in everyone as he surveyed the whole courtroom, settling on the two warring parties. He had a regal air to him, not superior, just respectful.

"You may be seated," he said and the room did as they were told. "We are hear to discuss the custody of the child Rose Marie French. Are both parties present?"

"Yes, your honor," Regina said.

Gold nodded once. "Yes."

"Good," the judge said, "Now this is only a preliminary appearance, no decisions will be made and no witnesses will be questioned. I understand the case as follows: the child was born nearly two years ago and no father was listed on her birth certificate. The mother is no longer in the picture and now the father has finally been found and wants to be granted full custody. Is that right?"

"Indeed," Gold said, "I was completely unaware of Rose's existence until a few weeks ago."

"Her mother purposefully kept Mr. Gold out of the loop," Regina spoke up, "She clearly had no desire to have him be involved in her daughter's life."

"This has nothing to do you with, Ms. Mills," Gold hissed, "You're just wheedling your way in like an insect."

Hawthorne banged on his gavel, the sound cutting off the fight before it could truly begin. "That's enough. I understand this can be a stressful matter, but we will compose ourselves properly. Now the first priority of business is to decide where the child will be staying until the final decision has been made. I need to know about her history, starting with the council for Morris French."

Regina reminded Emma of a cat who ate the pet canary and then framed the dog. She directed her crimson smile at Gold and slid out of her seat. "My client was present in his granddaughter's life from the beginning," she said, "His daughter trusted him completely with Rose and often left her in his care. When she abandoned the child, Mr. French put Rose first in his life. He made sure she had enough food and clothes, even though the expenses prevented him from expanding his business, he has been willing to sacrifice anything for Rose. He is the only family she has ever known and she needs him in her life."

"No one is suggesting that Mr. French not be allowed to see his granddaughter," Hawthorne said.

"With all due respect, your honor, we wouldn't be here if someone didn't." She turned her black gaze to Gold but he didn't flinch.

"Mr. Gold you've chosen to represent yourself," Hawthorne said, "a risky venture some would say."

"Not me, your honor."

Emma bought that, not because Gold couldn't get anyone to represent him. With his money, he could probably bring Johnny Cochran back to life and get him to be his lawyer. No, Gold just didn't trust anybody but himself for this. With Regina being Moe's lawyer, she actually thought Gold had made the wiser choice.

"I presume you would rather be granted temporary guardianship over Rose."

"Naturally, she is my daughter," he said, "at the very least, I would prefer it if guardianship be given to someone else. I do not trust Mr. French to remain in town for the remainder of this trial. He already stole from me once and hid from his crime. I suspect he would rather take my child and bolt while he has the chance."

Regina leapt out of her chair. "My client may have stolen from Mr. Gold, but he was also abducted and badly beaten by Mr. Gold. He was in the hospital for six weeks and is still not fully recovered from the experience."

"Exactly why your client shouldn't be caring for Rose," Gold hissed back at her, "He's hasn't got the nerve to see this through."

"He only wants to protect his grandchild from the man who violently attacked him."

"I would _never_ hurt Rose!"

The gavel rang out again, but that didn't drown out the whispers in the audience so Hawthorne hammered it again. "Silence, we will have silence now." He waited for everyone to quiet down before continuing. "Council, you will remain civil. No one is on trial here. This appearance is to establish where Rose can be properly cared for until guardianship can be permanently decided upon."

"Rose should remain with her grandfather," Regina said, "He has always provided for her in the past and has been the only constant in her life."

"But you admitted that he is still recovering from his injuries," Hawthorne said.

"Yes, but he is able to care for her."

Hawthorne nodded. "Mr. Gold, your concern is that Mr. French will leave the town with Rose before the settlement can be reached."

"It is," he said.

"I understand that during those six weeks that Mr. French was hospitalized, Rose was in someone else's care."

"Yes," Regina said, "Sheriff Emma Swan graciously took her in during that time."

"And Sheriff Swan is a witness for this case."

"Yes, your honor."

"Is she present?"

Emma blinked at the question and had to be nudged by her neighbor in order to remember she was the one the judge wanted. She stood up from her seat. "I'm here, your honor."

"Will you come forward."

The last time she'd spoken to a judge, she'd been sentenced to jail. She tried not to let that experience drown her. She wasn't the one on trial here and this wasn't even about her. Rose. She had to think about Rose. But what the hell was the judge doing asking for her?

"Sheriff, you cared for Rose French for six weeks, correct?"

"Yes."

"Was she comfortable under your care?"

Emma frowned. "Well, you'd have to ask her to be sure, but she seemed to like me and my roommate, Mary Margaret Blanchard."

"Did the two of you become attached to her?"

Emma smiled at that question. "Everyone get's attached to Rose. I swear, I think she's got some superpower that makes everyone she meets love her instantly."

Hawthorne didn't appear that interested in her idea of Rose having superpowers, but he did nod again. "In that case, I am awarding you temporary custody of Rose French until her permanent guardian has been determined. Visitation can be determined at your discretion."

Emma's mouth fell open. She heard at least a dozen gasps coming from behind her and then a flurry of whispers. Did that really just happen?

"What?" she asked.

"Your honor, is this wise?" Regina questioned, "Sheriff Swan is a witness for this trial."

"She has been called by both parties and has not expressed any bias to either side," Hawthorne said, "I do not doubt that Mr. French has the will to care for Rose during this time, but with his recent injuries I have to err on the side of caution. Also, Mr. Gold's point is fair. I have to ensure that neither party will try to leave before this trial is complete."

Hawthorne turned his attention to Emma. "You may collect Rose and whatever she needs at your earliest convenience."

Emma was too dumbfounded to speak. She only gave him a nod in reply. When she turned around she looked first at Moe. He was clearly devastated by this. He had his face in his hands and was shaking his head over and over. Gold, on the other hand, was stoic but there was a slight curve to his lips. No, he hadn't been awarded temporary custody of Rose, Moe hadn't either. He must have seen that as a small victory.

Emma took up her seat, shut her eyes and pretended nobody was looking at her. Boy would Mary Margaret be surprised.

"Now our final business is to determine Rose's guardian ad litem. She is far too young to express her own wants and needs, so someone reliable in town will have to represent her." Judge Hawthorne lifted a piece of paper from the desk. "Doctor Archibald Hopper."

Emma opened her eyes to see her son's therapist stand up from his chair. "Yes, your honor?"

"You were on the list of candidates for this role, are you willing to take it?"

"I am," he said.

"Council, do you have any dispute?"

"No, your honor," Regina said, "Dr. Hopper is more than capable of being fair."

Gold shook his head. "No argument."

"Good. Dr. Hopper, you are now Rose's guardian ad litem. You will investigate both parties and write a report on your findings. You will give me your opinion on which home is the best suited for the child's needs and I will take that under advisement when I make my decision. Do you understand your role in this trial?"

"Yes, your honor," Archie nodded, "I'll do my best to be Rose's voice in this trial."

"Very well." Hawthorne picked up his gavel. "This appearance is concluded. Our first hearing will be next week." The gavel hit wood, ringing throughout the still air.

So ended the first day of Gold vs. Moe. Emma wasn't sure who won this round.

* * *

"Oh my God," Mary Margaret gasped, "We have Rose? He can do that?"

"Apparently," Emma said, "I mean, it's only temporary, but still."

"She's coming back." The schoolteacher couldn't help the small smile that curved her lips. They had both missed Rose so much, even Emma was a teensy bit happy to know that she would wake up in the morning with Rose back in her crib waiting for breakfast. And yet…this was different from before. Now it felt like they were ripping her right out of her grandfather's arms.

"You should have seen Moe, he looked broken," Emma said.

"It's not your fault and it's not like Gold has her," Mary Margaret reminded her, "Like you said, it's only temporary."

"I think Moe's worried that this is a precursor for a more permanent situation with a very different person."

"How does Mr. Gold feel about this?" Mary Margaret could win Mother Teresa of the year with her kind heartedness.

"The man is impossible to read, how should I know?"

"He could be upset too."

"I think as long as Moe doesn't have her, he's happy," Emma said. Then again, she'd never seen Gold happy. Was the man even capable of that? Maybe when he had a fistful of someone else's money.

"It's probably for the best then," Mary Margaret said, "Moe must be under a great deal of stress, Rose needs to be in an environment that's completely neutral. She's too young to understand all of this, but she's probably still upset."

"Yeah, I guess," Emma agreed, but she didn't give her words any cheer. It was just a bad situation, no matter how one spun it.

She asked Mary Margaret to come with her when she went to pick up Rose and her things. Moe was bound to be upset and the innocent schoolteacher made a good buffer. But when Moe answered the door, she saw that he didn't care that Mary Margaret was with her. He hated them both.

"Hey," she said, "Uh…I guess you know why we're here."

He didn't say a word, just left the door open for them to see themselves in. Rose was in the living room munching on a wedge of apple, her big brown eyes glued to Bugs Bunny. She did look over to see who had disturbed her cartoon sanctuary. "Emmy! Mawry!"

The apple and Bugs were both abandoned for her friends. She got to Emma first and was immediately wrapped up in a hug. "Hey, kid. How you've been?" Emma asked.

"Play," Rose said, tugging on one lock of blond hair. "Play."

"Sure, we'll play in a bit, okay?"

"Play."

Emma looked at Moe. He had picked up Rose's battered butterfly and was staring at it. It was like he'd lost her already and he was clinging to the last thing he had of her.

"Mary Margaret, how about you take Rose and go get her things."

"Sure." Rose accepted the trade off, taking to fumble with the buttons on her sweater since Mary Margaret's hair was too short to grab.

"Play," the toddler said again.

"Sure, we'll play in your room, sweetie."

Emma waved at Rose as they left the room. Moe still hadn't spoken. "Look, I'm sorry about this," she said.

He quirked his eyebrows and continued to look at the butterfly. "I didn't ask for this," Emma said, "I would never ask that Rose be taken away from you."

"Regina says this is all part of his plan," he said at last.

"Gold? You think I'm helping him? I'm not," Emma insisted, "I'm not picking sides here. I only want to help, Rose, that's it."

"But this is what he wanted."

"Maybe, but this isn't what _I_ wanted."

"And what do you want?"

She had been asked that a lot lately. Who did she side with, Gold or Moe? She was the one who'd told Gold everything, but she was also the one barring the door from him. She knew Moe needed help with Rose. One look at his tiny, rented house and she could see he was drowning under bills, toys and upcoming school tuitions. But was Gold really the better option?

"I just want Rose to be happy," Emma said, "That's all. Please believe me."

He finally looked up from the butterfly. "I suppose I can."

Emma let out the breath she'd been holding. "Thank you, and I promise you can see Rose whenever you want. You can even pick her up for a few hours, seriously."

"And what about Gold?" he questioned.

Yeah, she'd been avoiding that question herself. "I don't know," she said. If she let Moe see Rose, could she really keep Gold out too?

"We'll figure this out," Emma promised him, "I just want to keep Rose out of all of this. She shouldn't be stuck in the middle of this mess."

"I never wanted any of this to happen," he said.

"I know. Neither did I." Sometimes she wished she'd never gotten it into her head to find out who exactly was the blank space under Birth Father on Rose's birth certificate. And yet…in a weird way, she was finally unraveling the mystery that was Mr. Gold. Alayna French was apparently the key to that, a shame the woman was no longer around.

When Moe finally handed the butterfly over to Emma, she knew it broke his heart. But she also knew that he could see this was the best option for Rose. She shouldn't be the rope in this game of tug-of-war. This way, her grandfather could still see her.

Maybe even her father too. Emma still wasn't sure what she would do there. She decided she'd wait until he asked her himself. She didn't know if she wanted him to or not and she didn't know what that would mean. She could never tell with Gold. It seemed only one person had ever really known him and she was gone. If only Alayna would come back, then all of these questions would have answers. But she wasn't. And Emma knew she couldn't stand leaving this mystery alone.

* * *

Granny's diner was abuzz with the news of the trial; it was all anyone had been able to talk about for days. The headlines from the _Storybrooke Mirror_ were dedicated to any and all aspects of the riveting feud between Gold and Moe French. Mundane conversations like the weather were forgotten in the wake of this scandal.

There was a fresh cherry pie cooling on the counter that Leroy tried to reach for. But Granny slapped his hand away. "That is not for you."

"I'm a customer! Isn't that what you made the pie for?"

"The pie is for Moe," Granny explained, "The poor man could use something to cheer him up."

"I don't think a pie is going to help much, sister."

"Well it's more than what you are doing."

Ruby looked down at the pie a little sadly. "Have you seen him lately, Granny?"

She nodded. "He was here to get some coffee this morning. Poor man looked like a lost lamb without little Rose."

"But he'll get her back," Ruby declared, "there's no way a judge will ever give Rose to someone like Mr. Gold."

"With his deep pockets?" Leroy scoffed, "That kid will be his in a week."

"Don't say that!"

"I'm just pointing out the truth. Gold has everything; he'll have the kid too. It's just a matter of time."

"He doesn't have her now," Ruby pointed out, "right now she's with Emma and Mary Margaret. They won't let Gold have her. And Archie is the one who is going to help decide, there's no way he'll take Rose away from Moe."

"Are you sure?"

Ruby was going to explain why she was certain that the resident psychiatrist would keep Rose with her grandfather but then the man himself came into the diner. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at him and poor Archie knew it. His cheeks turned pink at the looks and he subconsciously made his way to the counter at the empty seat beside Leroy.

"You're usual, Archie?" Ruby asked as soon as he sat down.

"Yes, please," he replied, still trying to appear calm and natural.

For a second he was able to sit there in peace while everyone else bored holes into his back with their eyes. It was Marco who first got up the courage to say. "I had no idea you were going to be Rose's lawyer."

Archie smiled a little sheepishly. "I'm not her lawyer. I'm her guardian ad litem."

"What does that mean?" Ruby asked.

"It means that I'm a neutral party that will only keep Rose's interest in mind," Archie explained. "I'll carefully assess Rose and the people in her life and offer an opinion on what will be best for her."

That actually made everyone relax. "So you are going to tell the judge who you think Rose should be with."

"Well it won't be my decision but my opinion will be given, yes."

Leroy smiled…or rather looked slightly less grumpy. "That's good, you'll makes sure Gold doesn't get her."

"Excuse me?"

Ruby rolled he eyes. "What Leroy is trying to say is that you are going to tell the judge that Moe should keep his granddaughter."

"Not necessarily."

And just like that, silence hung in the air.

"What?" Ruby and Leroy said at the same time.

Archie ducked his head a little, he never liked being the center of attention and he especially didn't like being thought of as the bad guy. "I'm obligated to give an honest review of the facts."

"The fact is that Gold is an ass," Leroy said.

He tried to be diplomatic about this. "Your opinion is noted but I have to give everyone a fair chance and that includes Mr. Gold."

"But you don't really believe he could be her father do you?" Ruby asked, she didn't know how anyone would could side with the town's Mr. Potter.

"I don't know," Archie admitted, "but that is what I'm going to find out. I will talk to everyone involved and give an honest opinion."

Granny set his food down and Archie started to eat, obviously deciding the matter was closed entirely. Leroy turned back his coffee and took a sip, then gestured the man beside him. "No way he'll side with Gold."

Everyone was certain that Dr. Hopper would come to the same conclusion as Leroy. After all…why would anyone trust Mr. Gold?

* * *

The Swan-Blanchard apartment smelled like marshmallows and chocolate. Mary Margaret had made double-chocolate chip cookies with marshmallows for her class, but made an extra batch for the three of them. Emma had made sure Rose finished every bite of her dinner so now she was snacking on one cookie. She'd probably weasel another one out of them later. Rose was very good at getting what she wanted.

Rose had a cookie in one hand and was batting at her piano with the other. The harsh noises and babble as she laughed filled the apartment, taking out every ounce of darkness and pain. This was Rose's sanctuary, and she was theirs.

"We should take her to feed the ducks soon," Mary Margaret said, "She'll love that."

"Yeah, but knowing her she'll decide she'll want to take a swim."

Mary Margaret laughed. "We'll be careful. She listens most of the time."

"I know that, it's the rest of the time that I'm worried about."

It wasn't just like it was before, despite how much they tried. They didn't talk about Moe or Gold in Rose's presence. They didn't take her for little walks around town like they used to. None of that changed anything though. People still stared and the trial continued to hang in the air like a thick cloud of poisonous bug spray.

Even Rose wasn't quite as cheerful as she usually was. She knew something was wrong, she even seemed to know that it was about her. She got cranky easier and sometimes she didn't want to play, just sit there quietly and look out the window. They told her over and over again that none of this was her fault, but Emma would bet she would tell them "yeah right" if she could.

She did say one thing more often now. "Momma."

She would reach up and touch the blue crystal at night and just say that one word over and over. "Momma. Momma. Momma." She didn't cry or scream for the woman who birthed her, just chanted the word. Emma didn't know if Rose knew that her missing mother was somehow a part of this or if she just wanted her back. Maybe she knew that only her mother had the answer to what had happened.

A gentle knock sounded. Rose chewed over a bite of her cookie and turned to watch as Emma walked over and opened the door. "Archie," Emma said warmly, "Hi."

"Hello, Emma."

"Is something wrong with Henry?"

"Oh no, he's fine. I'm actually here about Rose."

"Oh yeah, the guardian ad litem thing." Emma almost didn't want to let him inside. She liked Archie and knew he was only doing his job, but Rose was confused enough as it was. She was afraid this would only hurt the little girl even more.

"I know this is an intrusion," he said. He was a shrink, it stood to reason he could sense her hesitation. "I know Rose is probably aware of what's going on, but that's why I need to see her. It's part of my duty now, Emma. I also need to interview you both so I can get a good sense on Rose's needs and wants."

There really was no help for it. Besides, Archie could be trusted. He didn't have a dishonest bone in his body. "Sure, come on in."

Archie stepped inside, setting his yellow umbrella by the door. Pongo was absent from his side, but this was a rather official thing. The dog was probably better off at home. "Hello Miss Blanchard," he said to Mary Margaret.

"Archie, hi. How are you?"

"Well, thank you." Archie smiled down at Rose who was now licking the remaining chocolate off of her hands. "Hey, Rose. How are you doing today?"

Rose smiled and pointed with one stick finger. "Bug. Hi, bug."

He laughed. "Thank you, but you can call me Archie."

"A-chie bug. A-chie bug."

Emma and Mary Margaret both snickered. "I like it," Emma said with a bright smile.

"It does lack a certain dignity, though," he said as he stroked the top of Rose's head. She went back to beating on her piano without any regard to the grown-ups in the room.

"I need to ask you both some questions and I need you to be completely honest," he told them, "How is Rose?"

"She's doing okay," Mary Margaret said.

"She's not exactly herself," Emma added, "Not as active as she usually is, a little crankier, and she keeps asking for her mother, but other than that she's doing just fine."

"Asking for her mother?" Archie repeated, "That's strange."

"Yeah. Is that bad?"

"No, I wouldn't say that. I just thought Alayna hadn't left much of an impression on her daughter. This is very surprising."

Emma bit her lip. "It's kind of weird, but I think Rose knows her mother has something to do with this. She's not so much as crying or anything, but she just says 'momma'. Like she thinks her mother could fix all of this or something."

"Hmm," he mused, looking down at the child, "Clearly she is more aware than I thought. I'd love to test her cognitive abilities some time. She's quite advanced for her age."

Wouldn't her daddy be happy to hear that. It was eerie now that Emma knew who Rose's father was. Rose was so smart, so clever. She actually _thought_ and processed what was going on. Judging from her mini-library, Alayna hadn't been a dim-witted fool, but it was clear a lot of Rose's ability came from her father. He was uncommonly clever, he just used it for his own means instead of trying to be helpful to others.

"But other than that, she is doing fine?" Archie questioned, "No major tantrums or loss of appetite? Sleeping problems?"

Emma shook her head. "She's been good."

"That's good to know." Archie took out a leather notebook from the pocket of his jacket. He clicked his pen and adjusted his glasses. "I know this may be tedious, but you two will really help me out a lot if you will answer these questions."

"Sure," Mary Margaret replied.

"How was Rose when you first found her?"

"A doll," Mary Margaret said with a smile.

"A tornado," Emma corrected her, "Still is."

Archie let out a chuckle. "Yes, but did she show any signs of neglect? Lack of proper clothes? Hygiene?"

"No, she was clean except when she got into stuff." Emma still had vivid recollections of Rose playing with the flour.

"She did need new clothes," Mary Margaret said.

"Moe hadn't purchased any?"

"Some of them were worn, but mostly she had just outgrown them. You know children, they grow an inch every hour it seems."

Archie nodded and made a note in his notebook. "What was your impression of Moe's relationship with Rose?"

"Loving," Emma said without any hesitation, "He truly loves her. She's all he has left really. I think that makes him a bit protective, you know since he doesn't let her go out in the town much, but he only wants to keep her safe."

"I wonder if Alayna's departure frightened him," Mary Margaret added, "He doesn't seem to trust that easily when it comes to Rose. He likes to handle her on his own and is a bit shy coming for help when he needs it."

Archie made some more notes in his book. "And what is your impression of Gold's relationship with Rose?"

Now Emma paused. It was easy to explain Moe, she'd seen him with Rose, but Gold… "I don't know," she finally said.

"He hasn't had many opportunities to be with her," Mary Margaret said, "but he always took an interest whenever she was brought up, even before this whole thing started."

"Yeah, but he never said a word," Emma reminded her, "I just don't know how he feels about her."

"Do you believe either Moe or Gold would harm Rose?"

"No," Mary Margaret said right away.

Emma let out a sigh and shook her head. "At least not physically."

"And emotionally?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure if they are fighting for Rose in this battle or if they just want to hurt the other."

"That's understandable," he said as he scribbled some more into his notebook. "You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but in your honest opinion, who do you believe should be responsible for Rose's welfare?"

Alayna's name was the first one that popped into Emma's head. That mysterious woman who had loved her daughter and then left her, who may have loved a man everyone called monster and yet never told him he'd gotten her pregnant. No one was who they seemed to be in this town.

"I don't think I can answer that," Emma said instead, "I'm trying to stay neutral here because of my involvement."

"Of course," Archie said with a patient nod, "Do you feel the same, Mary Margaret?"

"Well…" the teacher ducked her pretty head down to her shoes, "Moe's been very good to Rose and I think he should remain in her life…but he's her grandfather, that can't replace her actual father. And if Mr. Gold wants to be her father, well it just isn't fair to never give him that chance."

Emma gave her roommate a slack-jawed stare. She had thought Mary Margaret would want to remain neutral, but to actually say she thought Gold should win? She knew Gold pretty well, maybe she didn't know some of his secrets—Emma hadn't told her about his son—but she knew what was fact and what was only maybe true about him. She was just too kind for her own good sometimes.

"Thank you, this was very helpful," Archie said. He tucked his notebook back into his pocket and gave them his benevolent smile. "I'm sure we'll talk more later. Goodbye." He waved to Rose, "Goodbye, Rose."

"Bye bye," she waved back, "bye bye."

Mary Margaret waved at Archie too before he left and then turned to Rose. "It's almost bath time for the munchkin"

"Are you serious?" Emma asked. Mary Margaret had no skills for deflection what so ever, like Archie she was just too honest. "You really want Gold to have Rose? You want him to win?"

Mary Margaret sighed. "Emma, it's not that I want Moe to never see her again. I want him to be grandfather, that's what he is. Gold should be her father if that's what he wants. Both men should be in her life, but Gold has more to offer Rose than Moe."

"Fine, maybe he has more money, but you don't know for sure that he really loves Rose."

"And you don't know if he doesn't. I know you don't believe in all of these rumors going around about him and Alayna. You can't tell me it isn't possible that he could love her."

"I don't know," Emma said, "That's the problem, I don't know. I don't know what happened between him and Alayna. I don't know if he loved her or not. He just closes himself off in that shop of his, he never lets anyone get to know him. He never tells anyone anything about himself."

"But Alayna did," Mary Margaret reminded her, "She told him things she never told anyone else. He might have done the same thing. I think she loved him and that he loved her too. I don't know why she never told him about Rose or why he cut himself off from her, but I think he blames himself now for what happened. That's why he wants Rose, she's his second chance to make things right."

"So you're saying Rose is his chance for redemption? That's a lot of pressure to put on one kid."

"I think everyone deserves a second chance to prove they're better than they're mistakes. Honestly, I thought you would understand that better than anyone."

"That's not fair," Emma said softly.

"But it's the truth," Mary Margaret said, this time a little gentler, "If you had asked me two months ago if I thought Gold would make a good father, I would have said no. But when you found that rose and that book, I realized that Gold was in love with Alayna. If he can love someone like that then he can't be all that bad. There must be something good inside of him. Rose might be just the incentive he needs to prove that himself."

"And if you're wrong?" Emma challenged her. "What if all he wants is revenge and he doesn't give a damn about Rose?"

"And what if _you're_ wrong," Mary Margaret said, "What if he could have been something more, but his chance to have that was taken away from him? Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I have hope. That was something you brought here, Emma. Don't begrudge me that fact."

"I…I don't," Emma said. She shook her head slowly. "I just don't know, Mary Margaret. I don't know what's right when it comes to this whole mess. I'm scared I'm going to screw all of this up one way or another."

"So am I," she admitted, "but you have to find your side Emma, you can't remain neutral forever here, you're too involved. And no matter which side you choose, you won't know if it was the right one until it happens. We don't have fortune tellers or magic wands in this world to tell us how it's all going to end up. We only have our faith."

Yeah, but faith was something Emma had always had a short supply of. She watched as Mary Margaret picked up Rose to carry her to the bathroom for her bath. Emma busied herself by finding a pair of pajamas for her to wear. Mary Margaret had been right before, she would have to pick a side. She would have to make a decision as to which man Rose should be with. Alayna's picture was back on the dresser, placed there when Rose had first begun to ask for her mother.

"What would you want?" Emma asked the smiling face in the photograph, "Who would you have chosen?"

Alayna gave her no answer.

* * *

Archie had always tried to be a sociable creature. Part of his job was cultivating relationships with his clients so they can be comfortable talking with him. He wanted to set everyone at ease, not just those he saw regularly. Unfortunately, he'd had little interaction with Moe French. Moe had always kept to himself and his shop. Yes, it had been shocking to learn that he had a granddaughter, but not nearly as surprising as it should have been.

There was no way to make this interview comfortable. Archie knew that. He had no history with Moe and Mr. French was still recuperating from his stay at the hospital while also bitter over the temporary loss of Rose. His only hope was that Moe wouldn't see him as yet another lawyer. His job was to assess Rose's wants and needs and voice his opinion on which home met those requirements. Perhaps that was Moe, perhaps it wasn't. Hopefully Moe would be able to see that he was neutral in this affair.

He knocked on the door and waited. Archie smiled when Moe answered his knock. "Hello Mr. French."

"Dr. Hopper, hi."

"I'm here to interview you for Rose's case."

"Right, I figured that." He cleared his throat before stepping aside. "Come on in."

Moe's home was small, like he had expected, and not very tidy. Not a mess, just disorganized. The carpet was coming up in some places and needed to be steamed. The upholstery on the sofa was faded, complete with broken seams. But the house also showed Moe's devotion to hi family. There was a picture of him on his wedding day with his late wife, as well as a few of his daughter Alayna. One wall had a collection of pictures of Rose from her birth to close to present day.

"You have a charming home," he said. Yes, it lacked some TLC, but it was still charming.

"Thank you."

"Would you mind if I see Rose's nursery?"

"Not at all, I still have everything set up except for her crib. The sheriff is borrowing it for now."

"I understand."

Rose's room was by far the best kept in the house. Moe had arranged all of her toys—the ones she'd left behind—as well as made sure the floor was clean, sockets covered and everything dangerous or easily swallowed well out of her reach. Yet, the room was still very small. The space reserved for the crib was squashed next to the dresser, that Archie guessed doubled as a changing table.

"This was Alayna's room," Moe explained and pointed to the Murphy bed, "We didn't have room for Rose to have her own space, but she never complained. I kept everything in case she ever came back."

"You're a devoted father," Archie said with affection, "I am sorry for what happened. It must have hurt you a great deal."

"I suppose this whole thing has finally offered some clarity," Moe said with a touch of solemnity, "Maybe I should have paid more attention, I might have seen what was going on. I can't help but wonder if she tried to come for me for help and I just didn't notice."

Archie knew this was about the rumors of Gold's possibly salacious relationship with Alayna. Gold certainly did have a reputation towards deal, but as far as he could remember the man had never propositioned someone in such an inappropriate manner. Not to mention Archie chose to believe the best in anyone.

"I highly doubt there was anything you could have done to prevent her from leaving," he said, "You helped her as much as you could, I'm sure, and if she had wanted more than she would have come to you. Only she can answer as to why she left."

"I wonder if maybe he drove her out," Moe continued, "Perhaps he knew about Rose and was trying to force Alayna out of the picture so he could have her all to himself. Or maybe Alayna was afraid of him."

"I highly doubt Gold forced your daughter out of town."

"No offense, Dr. Hopper, but you don't know Gold like I do."

It was on the tip of his tongue to say the same thing. Weeks ago, Gold had come to Archie's office and talked with him for over an hour about a secret he'd been harboring: his son. Gold had another child out there, more likely a fully grown child at that. Archie suspected that if Gold had known about Rose before all of this, then the child would be tucked safely into his home and not stuck in the middle of a custody battle. If he were honest, he was itching to ask the man what his relationship was with her mother. The rumors abounded, but Archie couldn't help but remembered the sad, vulnerable man clinging to the hope of finding his estranged son. Could he have possibly fallen in love with Alayna French. Gold was clearly a man of many regrets, was she one of them?

But this wasn't about Gold. This had to be about Rose and what she needed and who she needed.

"Let's return to the living room," Archie suggested, "I have a few questions I need to ask you."

"Of course." Moe was much more relaxed now. Perhaps he saw Archie as an ally now or simply realized he wasn't on any side here. He hoped it was the latter.

Archie took up one section of the worn sofa while Moe found a seat in the battered armchair. "Now, I need to know how long you've been caring for Rose."

"Since she was born," Moe said.

"And she was born at the convent, correct?"

He nodded. "I was…upset when Alayna told me she was pregnant. I'm ashamed to say I didn't make her welcome in her own home."

"You forced her out?"

"I…I, uh, made it clear that she was welcome, her pregnancy wasn't."

"Oh." Archie ducked down to look at his notebook and wondered if he should write that down.

"I regretted it the moment Rose was born," he was quick to add, "She's so perfect, I mean, I couldn't help but want her."

"But you did believe that Alayna should have terminated the pregnancy?"

Moe's face flushed a dark red. "Yes," he choked out.

"I'm sorry, I know that was hard to say, but I thank you for your honesty." Archie made the notation. It was fact and he couldn't just ignore it. "Now, did you ever have any idea that Mr. Gold was Rose's father?"

"None."

"And you said earlier you were unaware that there was a relationship between him and your daughter?"

"There was no relationship!" Moe spat, "Mr. Gold forced his attentions on my daughter."

"This isn't a question about the nature of the—."

"Please, Dr. Hopper, you can't let that man have Rose," Moe begged him, his blue eyes round and shimmering, "He's a monster. He'll only hurt her, I know it. He's why my daughter is gone. What do you think he will do to Rose?"

Archie sat there, his mouth open and his mind whirring in an effort to find the right thing to say. Moe was clearly indoctrinated to the point where he refused to accept any other possibility than the idea that his daughter had been violated. Most of the town was in agreement, but Archie knew what scant evidence there was to those rumors. If there had been more than gossip and speculation, Emma would have arrested Gold by now.

"Mr. French…I don't know what happened between them," Archie said since it was the truth, "In any case, I didn't come here to ask you whether Gold would be a capable father. I am here for Rose and that is all."

"Yes, I understand and I'm sorry. I'm just on edge, I suppose."

"That is understandable. Now back to my question, you were unaware of there being any intimate relations between your daughter and Mr. Gold?"

"No, I had no idea."

"Why did you choose to keep Rose a secret?"

"Alayna wanted to keep a low profile after the birth," Moe said, "And then when she was gone…well I just didn't see a point in sharing my family problems with the town. Rose needed my care and I didn't want her to be the subject of gossip like she is now."

"It had nothing to do with a fear that her father would claim her?"

"I already told you, I had no idea who her father was."

"I understand," Archie said patiently, "but if you had been more open about Rose, you had to know someone could have stepped forward and revealed he was her father."

"I…I…" finally Moe sighed, "I suppose. You have to understand, I lost my daughter. I didn't want Rose to be taken away from me as well."

"I do," Archie, but he still made a note. "Now, may I ask, how are your finances?"

"My finances?"

"Yes, I need to know how you can provide for Rose's needs."

"I can take care of her."

"Mr. French, I need to know specifics," Archie pressed gently, "Can you provide sufficiently for Rose?"

"I…I do have some debt," Moe stammered out, his face bright vermillion, "but I always make sure Rose's needs are taken care of first. Sometimes that leads me a little light on my own needs, but she is always my first priority."

"And what about the future? School? College?"

"She's not even two yet."

"No, but it will be coming soon," Archie reminded him.

"I'm trying to save what I can, but my recent stay in the hospital has left me in some…difficulties. I'm working extra hours to compensate."

"And how will you care for Rose while you're working?"

"My employee, Caleb, he watches her when he can." Moe sucked in a breath. "I was also hoping the sheriff would help. She's very fond of her."

"Yes, she is." Archie made some more notes. Moe's financial problems didn't surprise him per se, but the depths of them did. Moe was trying to make a front of being in only a minor scrape, but Archie knew that caring for toddler was expensive work and was only going to increase as the years carried on. Rose did have what she needed for the present, but what concerned Archie was her needs in the future. Moe had a lot of love to offer her, but not a lot of substance.

Archie thanked Moe for letting him intrude and assured him that Rose was being well cared for by Emma Swan. He left the house with his mind busy. He had seen one half of this complicated equation. Now it was time to pay a visit to the other.

* * *

There were times when Mr. Gold longed to be back in the Enchanted Forest. This was one of those times. The world without magic could be bloody complicated when it wanted to be. While there were many things he appreciated (cars and phones were quite useful little things) other matters were much simpler. If they were back in their old world, this custody business wouldn't be a problem. Rose was his daughter, thus she belonged to him. Not here. No, because Moe French had raised her he had to go through the whole legal process, practically turn the world backwards, in order to obtain her. He would win, but he would come out looking like a thief for it, how was that fair?

But that wasn't the worst of it. He knew Regina was up to something. She didn't give a damn whether or not Moe retained custody of Rose, she just didn't want him to have her. This war between them was far more entertaining before he'd known he had a daughter. Now Regina had something on him, something she knew he wanted. No doubt she would try to use that against him, but for now she was simply intent on trying to wring every last drop of pain out of him as possible. Damn woman was too much like her viperous mother. Actually, she was worse. Cora's coldness made her predictable, but Regina's reckless fury made her the opposite. Even if he could see the future here, he couldn't be certain which path she would choose. His only option was to keep a close eye on her and try to undo her plan before it could be completed.

The appearance had turned out just the way Gold had hoped. He hadn't placed any stock in the idea that the judge would grant him temporary custody (though the thought was a pretty one). At least in Emma's hands, Rose would be safe and Moe couldn't try to run with her. The Curse hadn't been broken yet so the damned fool could easily kill Rose in his attempt to keep her away from him. There was also the added benefit that the good sheriff couldn't very well keep him away from his daughter, not if she was granting Moe visitation as well. He fully intended to have a chat with her about his rights soon enough.

Dr. Hopper had called him earlier to schedule an interview which is why Gold had closed his shop early for the day. He didn't like this whole process, but he was glad Hopper had been chosen to represent Rose rather than Emma. Hopper could be depended upon to remain neutral, but Emma he knew harbored some doubts about him. The cricket turned psychiatrist at least never showed him any resentment. The only problem was that he couldn't be bribed to tip the scales in his favor.

There was still much that could go wrong. Regina could be intimidating the judge or falsify evidence the make him look even more like a monster, or should could be up to something even more devious. Gold was leaning towards the latter. None of this showed on his face when he went to answer the ring of the doorbell. He was very good at keeping his emotions in check here.

"Good evening, doctor," he greeted him.  
"Mr. Gold, hi, thank you for being so accommodating."

"Not at all. We both want only the best for Rose."

Dr. Hopper smiled and nodded. Gold could play nice when he needed to…or when Belle had wanted him to. Sometimes he wondered what she would say if she were here. Would she tell him not use his tricks and fight for her cleanly? Probably. She'd probably insist that he compromise with her father instead of beginning this custody battle. Then again, she might not considering what her father did to her.

If Belle really were here he wouldn't have to do any of this. If she were here, he'd drop to her feet and beg for forgiveness. He'd promise to the be the father Rose deserved, to the be the man she so desperately wanted him to be. He would try to make himself worthy of her, though that task was likely impossible because of his numerous sins.

But Belle was gone. He had to rely on himself to keep what she'd left behind.

Hopper took an interest at the house, making notes in his little notebook. He had yet to childproof the home, but it was neat and orderly which was necessary because of his limp. Cluttered perhaps, but nothing harmful.

"I'm certain you have plenty of room for a nursery," Hopper said as he took in the size of the first floor.

"Indeed, I already have a room being prepared for her."

"You do?" Hopper blinked at him with mild surprise. "May I see it?"

He had chosen the room next to his. It had been set up for a guest room, but he never had guests and he was glad to give it a purpose. The crib had been an easy find. He had a French antique piece made of cherry that had been overlooked in his shop. A matching table and dresser was also easily purloined, some gratitude was owed to Regina for making him an antique dealer. There was little decoration and no toys as of yet, but it was a good start.

"I was hoping to learn more about what she likes before I finished," Gold explained, waving his arm towards the lack of personality.

"Sweets from what I know," Hopper said with a chuckle. Even Gold cracked a smile, remembering seeing her eat cotton candy at the Miner's Day festival. "It's a lovely space."

"Incomplete," Gold said, "I'm still working on what she'll need."

"I'm sure Emma and Mary Margaret could help you in that regard."

Gold doubted the blonde sheriff would want to talk to him about the weather, so he had little hope in the idea that she would help him decide what Rose was in need of. Besides, he'd been a father before. He knew the basics, even if this world was vastly different and he had far better resources this time.

"I trust Sheriff Swan is taking care of her," Gold said.

"Oh yes, I saw her yesterday and Rose was doing quite well," Hopper said.

It wasn't a surprise, but it was still good to hear. Gold knew many people in town didn't like the fact that she was his daughter. No one told him directly, but he knew. At least he knew Emma wasn't among them. He could trust the Savior to keep his daughter safe until he could take her home.

They returned downstairs where Hopper told him he would have to ask him some questions. It was expected, but not exactly desired.

"I understand Rose's mother was under your employ."

Not this again. "Yes, for about eight months," he said.

"And you had a relationship with her."

"Rose's existence makes that obvious," Gold said in a huff.

"I'm not trying to be tedious," Hopper said apologetically, "These are questions I need for my records. I promise, nothing you reveal to me will be made public."

"Hoping I'll tell you the details of my affairs?

"I'm only trying to make sense of all of this so I can better understand the facts. These rumors clearly bother you which leads me to believe that they either have a grain of truth or are completely fabricated. Your anger to all of this leads me to believe it's the latter."

Gold sat there rigidly. The man was smart, far so than Gold had initially thought. "Our relationship was complicated," he said, "but she was not coerced in any way."

"I understand," Hopper said, "And you don't have to explain it to me, but I do need to know: were you aware that she was pregnant with your child?"

"Of course not. I never would have let her leave if I'd known."

"She didn't disclose to you at all about Rose?"

"No," Gold said truthfully, "I do believe she would have told me if she could."

That earned him an interested look. "What do you mean by that?"

"Our relationship didn't end on the best of terms," he was to blame for that, "but she would never have resorted to pettiness. If she could have told me about Rose, she would have."

"You're saying she was prevented from telling you about your daughter?"

"I don't think she ever had a choice in the matter," Gold said, "That's all I know."

Hopper wasn't writing in his notebook anymore. No, this was his therapist look. Gold wasn't trying to reveal anything, but that was hard to do when talking about Belle. She'd always done that to him, strip him bear of any armor or masks he tried to protect himself with. Now Hopper was seeing this.

"You think highly of her." It wasn't a question.

"She was a good person." Yes, and he never deserved her.

"Did she know about your son?"

He stiffened at the mention of Bae. He regretted sharing that with Hopper. At the time, he'd thought Boothe was his son and he needed someone to talk to. He'd felt Belle's loss more than ever as she was the first person he wanted to tell.

"Yes," he finally admitted since there was no point in lying.

Hopper nodded, but blessedly made no indication that he wanted more information. He looked back at his notebook for a second. "How demanding is your job?"

"Depends on who I'm dealing with."

"How would you balance your work and Rose?"

"I'd like to keep her close to me," Gold said, "I could set up a section of my shop for her own use where I can keep an eye on her. The shop isn't strenuous so it shouldn't be too difficult."

"You have considerable means, do you have any plans to use your money to support Rose's future."

"Of course, she's my daughter." It was almost insulting to think he wouldn't. "I've already set up a trust fund for when she turns eighteen. She'll be able to attend any school she wishes or use the money for anything she desires."

"That's very generous of you."

"I want to provide for her in any way I can," Gold said, "I want to make sure she has the brightest future imaginable. I can give her the means to that, but I know money isn't all she needs."

"No, you're right there," Hopper agreed with a nod, "She needs love."

"And her mother," Gold said sadly, "I wish I could give her that, but that's impossible."

"Indeed, it is a shame."

It was more than that. It was a tragedy.

* * *

It took a couple of days and several hours of privacy for Archie to write out his recommendation to the judge on Rose French's guardianship. It wasn't an easy choice by any means and Archie knew that someone wasn't going to like his decision, no matter which way he went with this.

But all he could do was give his own professional opinion on Rose's future and that is exactly what Archie did. He felt a bit nervous as he turned in the sealed envelop with his decision at the courthouse but he was also relieved that it was over. Now all he could do was wait and see what happened along with everyone else.

Granny's diner was just starting to get busy for the dinner rush, not standing room only yet but it would be soon enough. Archie took a seat at one of the counters, ready to enjoy some of Granny's famous meatloaf and mashed potatoes. But once again all eyes were on him from the moment he walked in.

Everyone was still talking about the custody trial, speculation and rumors were still flying like leaves in the wind. No new information was forthcoming, not until tomorrow when Archie's professional opinion would be taken under advisement from the judge. It didn't mean that the choice of Rose's custodianship rested in the psychiatrist's hands…but everyone seemed to think it did.

Once again it was Leroy who had the least amount of shame. "What did you tell the judge, Doc?"

Archie shook his head. "It's privileged information, Leroy. I can't share it."

"We're all going to find out tomorrow anyways."

"Leave him alone, Leroy," Ruby said sweetly.

Walter and Clark were on Archie's other side; the former had his own ideas. "We all know who he's going to pick," he declared, "Moe is the best choice for Rose."

Archie shook his head. "I can't say anything about my decision until the next hearing."

"It has to be Moe," Clark pointed out, "Mr. Gold is…Mr. Gold. You can't let him get Rose, he can't be good for her."

"I told you, I can't talk about this."

Granny put his plate of food in front of him and gave a good stern look at the other men. "All right, let the man eat in peace."

Ruby smiled sweetly at him as she filled up his coffee cup. "We all know you made the right choice for Rose, Archie. Don't worry."

Archie nodded and took a sip but everyone's eyes were still on him. It wasn't easy when it seemed like the biggest decisions to face the town rested on his shoulders. He also recognized that there might be some very disappointed people in the morning.

* * *

A/N: So the first appearance is over and Regina and Gold are already close to killing each other. So what do you think? Who did Archie pick? Please review.

Next Chapter: Gold asks for visitation with Rose, but Emma is on the fence. The first hearing begins and Archie's letter is read in court.


	17. What a Coward Deserves

Disclaimer: If anyone wants to buy OUAT for us we will gladly accept it, until then it is still not ours.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Yes, I know, I know it took waaaay too long to get this update done. What can I say, between school, work and family issues, there just hasn't been enough time to devote to this fic. *sigh* But at last, we found the time and finally got this done. I'm proud of this chapter because it builds up the next one which is HUGE. I think you'll like it.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: Yes it took a while but it is finally here and we are so proud of it! Rose is just too much fun and the trial is really heating up now. Can't wait to see what you guys think of this.

**Anonymous Reviews**

**Karen:** Aww, I'm so glad you liked this story so much that you re read it. Here's an update for you as a treat.

**Xuang Lin: **I'm so glad you like it. We do try to make it different from a "baby fic" while also trying to make it work like it's a part of the show. I'm glad you think it works.

**Guest:** Yes, Rose is darling. I have a secret wish that Rumple and Belle will eventually have a baby just like her on the show. We thought the custody battle would be the next logical step for Gold to take, and considering right now Storybrooke is still cursed, Gold would have no choice in order to get Rose. As for what Rose sees, man or imp, well Gold wonders that himself. You'll find out later.

**Guest:** No promises about updating once a month, but I swear we'll try, but I'm at the mercy of my school. We don't always see eye to eye when it comes to fanfiction.

**new fan: **Thanks so much for reading! And wow! What a compliment! We do try to make everyone as in character as possible, glad you feel like we're succeeding. And you're right, this whole mess isn't good for Rose at all. You'll see more of that soon.

**Mia:** So glad you enjoyed it. You'll see Archie's decision in this chapter.

**Reviewer:** And we're back again! Thank the light for that too. You're right, Archie would much rather the spotlight be on him than Rose. Emma and Mary Margaret would rather it be them than her too. And yes, Emma is sort of wishing Alayna would just magically reappear and solve this whole problem. Yeah, the town may not be as sympathetic to Gold's plight no matter what they know about him. Many people aren't as forgiving as they should be.

**D:** Sorry we couldn't get it sooner, but here's an update for you.

**Beni:** LOL, I can't tell you when Belle/Alayna will be returning. It will be a little while longer, but we are getting closer, I promise. Jefferson will make a reappearance in a way, I can tell you that.

**Hyourin:** So glad you liked Archie's POV. I was nervous about that, but I think it turned out okay.

**prttykitty7728:** Here's hoping you squeal again!

**Guest:** Belle's Storybrooke name is pronounced how it's spelled A-Lay-Na. It means beautiful so that's why we picked it.

* * *

Chapter 17: What a Coward Deserves

It had been a long time since Gold had set foot inside the Dark Castle, but he found it hadn't gone to dust and ruin like he had expected. Everything was just as it was when he'd been imprisoned in that hole in the ground. The tapestries were still nailed to the wall. The table was polished, shining in the candlelight. All of his trophies sat on their pedestals. His spinning wheel still sat in the corner, oiled and well kept.

That made no sense. He'd seen his wheel in the basement of the shop just yesterday. Occasionally he still spun with it, though he had to use wool instead of straw and his efforts could produce no gold.

Gold stood there, his cane in hand, as he eyed every meticulously cared for possession of his. There was only one empty pedestal in the room, the one that had held his most valuable treasure. Had Emma broken the curse and sent everyone home? Where was the teacup? He never would have left it behind.

A door swung open behind him though he had not given it a command to do so. Long ago, he'd enspelled the castle so it could care largely for itself. Perhaps, this was some lingering spell. The telltale shiver at the back of his neck told him to obey the castle's magic.

It was the staircase that led to the east tower. His old laboratory was situated in the west. The long climb should have been arduous on his bad leg, but he felt no ill effects. Perhaps his magic was returning and healing the crippled limb. The door opened again at the top to reveal and room he had avoided in the years before the curse.

The library was well stocked after his centuries of living. He had gathered many books, some of them costly others simply amusing. He'd spent most of his times with the magical texts, but on occasion he had wiled his lonely hours with a beguiling tome that was meant only for pleasure. Belle had fostered that desire in him, often coaxing him to read and book she had enjoyed immensely. Even if he had already read it, he'd pretend he hadn't just to enjoy having her smile as she tried to persuade him to pick up the book.

She had staked her claim in this room after he'd give it to her. Belle had lovingly dusted and oiled every leather-encased book. She had spent hours in this room, neglecting her chores as she immersed herself in the pages. He'd never punished her. More often he would watch her. Then when she fell asleep, he'd carry her back to her room. She never asked why he'd done that or if he'd used magic to transport her.

He had sealed away this room after she left him. It had been hers more than his. The books he needed for his magic were in his laboratory so he'd had little use of the library. But more than that, he couldn't bear seeing the neglected books that she'd left behind. Just another painful reminder of all that he'd lost.

This room should have been full of dust and cobwebs, but it was bright and airy as ever. The crinkling of pages captured his attention towards a large wingback chair. His heart stopped. The very breath he drew was trapped inside his chest.

_"Belle,"_ his heart whispered. _"Impossible,"_ his head reminded him.

Yet, there she was, sitting in her favorite chair with a book open on her lap. She wore the blue dress that matched her perfect eyes with the white, lacy undertunic. Her sable curls shined with tints of red and gold in the sunlight bathing her through the curtains. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. More so.

Perhaps she heard the pounding of his heart when it started again, but she looked up from her book. Her beautiful eyes met his. "After several centuries of living, you think you would know it's impolite to stare."

She sounded the same, her voice as soothing and lilted as ever. Oh how he'd missed that voice! "You're dead," he whispered, trying to get his heart to realize that fact.

"Of course I am." She spoke as if death was only a bout of the flu.

"How are you here?"

"You're in my world now, Rumplestiltskin," she said, "I don't have to answer to you anymore."

Her world? Had he died? A part of him seized up at the idea. He wasn't supposed to die, not before he found Bae. Another part of him welcomed the thought. Three hundred years of life had taught him the loneliness of immortality. He longed to be with Belle again, to have her near. But if this was true, how had he died? He had no memory of a violent end.

"Belle," he said her name softly and took a few careful steps towards her, "Sweetheart, I am sorry—."

"For what?" she questioned, "For not believing me? For taking my virginity? For throwing me out to the _loving_ hand of my father? Exactly, what are you sorry for, Rumplestiltskin?"

By the gods, she was right. He could never atone for what he'd done to her with a simple apology. She had been the perfect woman, the only woman who had ever wanted him for who he was and not his magic. Tears blurred his sight, not the first he'd shed for her. "Everything. You were right. I am a coward and a fool. You loved me, really loved me and I…I threw it away."

Belle shut her book. "I know this. I know everything. I know you created a curse to bring everyone to that land in order to find your son. You cursed hundreds of people for your own gain."

"I needed to find my son," he said.

"And do you think an apology will make everything better?" she questioned. She rose from her chair to stand before the wooden table she used to litter with books. "You let him go. You broke your word and abandoned your son because of magic. That's all you want, Rumple. That's all you crave."

"No," Gold insisted, "I want you. I want Bae. I want Rose. I want all of us to be a family."

"Family? Do you even know what that is?" Belle reached down to the table to cradle something in her hands. The cup. The chipped cup she christened on her first day with him. " It's home, comfort…love. We could have had that if you'd only believed."

"I know, sweetheart," he said softly, "I know, I should have believed you, but you have to understand…my wife—."

"I know about her," Belle said as she turned her eyes back to him, "And about Cora. The two women you offered your heart to before me. I know they betrayed you. But you should have known that I was different. True Love's kiss, Rumple, someone dripping in magic as you knows that can never be faked."

Belle shook her head softly. "No. You chose to not believe because it was easier than believing. You needed the magic and you needed no weaknesses. I was a threat to everything. So you tossed me away like scraps to a pig. You never even considered the consequences of our one time together."

Rose. The outcome of their love, the love he'd so carelessly wasted.

"If I'd known—."

"You would have saved me?" Belle questioned. "You would have protected us both and let us live with you and be a family? Don't fool yourself. We would have been pawns Regina could have used against you. You would have left us to ourselves so you could be free with your magic."

"No," he shook his head swiftly, "No, Belle, that's not true. I would have saved you. I'd have done anything to save you. And Rose, I would have cared for her. I will care for her. I will be the father she deserves."

"You think you deserve her?" Belle asked.

Gold frowned at her. "You'd rather her be with your father? After what he did to you?"

Belle shook her head again. "Neither of you deserve her. _I_ wanted her. _I_ loved her. She was mine before she was yours or his. I told her stories as she slept in my womb. I talked to her as I shivered in that tower, alone but for the babe I carried. I died for her and I never even got to hold her in my arms. And you think you have a right to her?"

"Belle," he said her name softly. This woman before him was chilly with her hatred for him. Her pain and despair had poisoned the love she'd had for him. He couldn't blame her. No, this was his fault. He should have protected her. He should have loved her like she deserved.

"That is what your love brought me, Rumplestiltskin," she said, "Death. I should have known. Loving evil only brings evil."

"Belle," he said her name again and shook his head.

"I realize now, those clerics were right. You did taint me. You did ruin me. And you'll ruin Rose too."

"No, no I won't. I promise you, I'll never let any harm come to her. I'll be the man you deserved for her."

"I deserved," she said. Her eyes fell to the open window. When had it opened? "I loved a monster. I gave my heart and body to a man so evil that he poisons everyone who crosses his path. I deserved what they did to me."

"No, Belle," he said.

She took a few steps back. A cold breeze gusted in, tearing through his clothes and chilling him to the very marrow of his bones. "I deserved to be flayed, scourged, and beaten."

"No!" he half shouted. He took another step towards her, but she held up her hand to stop him.

"Do you love me, Rumplestiltskin?" she asked, "You never told me before."

The tears came back to his eyes. "Yes," he said, his voice cracking over the word, "Oh Belle, I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said. His heart leapt at her words. Even after everything he'd done, all of his mistakes and cowardly ways, she still loved him.

"But to love you is a sin," she said. A queer, blank look entered her eyes. "And sinners must die."

She took another step back, reaching the edge of the open window. Gold's eyes widened and he lunged for her. "No, Belle!"

But she slipped from his grasp and fell back towards the gaping earth.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_

Gold opened his eyes with a gasp, his hands groping at the air before him. Nothing. One glance at the dark light fixture on the ceiling explained everything to him. He wasn't back at the Dark Castle. He was in Storybrooke, Maine. Belle wasn't here, she was dead. It had all been a dream.

He sat up from his now unwelcome bed, throwing the strangling covers away. His brow was dripping with sweat, but his cheeks were wet from tears. _Belle,_ he thought. It was like she had been before him. Everything she'd said was true, even if it hadn't been real. He hadn't deserved her, nor did he deserve the daughter she'd left behind. Only she really deserved Rose.

Rose. Right now she was across town, sleeping in Emma Swan's apartment. Perhaps that was the safest place for her, even safer than his home. He had abandoned one child, discarded an innocent woman who'd loved him, was he really the right person to care for Rose? Oh he wanted her, so desperately. But after everything he'd done…?

_It was a dream,_ Gold reminded himself. Belle had loved him. She had also insisted on the good in him, that he could change.

"I will change," he promised the empty space in front of him. "I swear to you, Belle, I will be the father Rose deserves. I will be the man you wanted me to be. I'll be that man for you and for our daughter."

He didn't bother to try and return to sleep. Instead he counted the minutes until sunrise. He wasn't going to wait any longer. In the morning, he would see his daughter and to hell what Emma Swan had to say about it.

* * *

Monday was rainy and dismal, about what was typical of the day Emma predicted would be terrible. She'd always hated Mondays. That was the start of another week, another dull day of another dead end. Then again, Storybrooke was surprisingly not dull. Still, the prospect of Monday was unappealing with no sunshine.

Rose woke up from the thunder earlier than her usual time so she was a bit grouchy. Now she was sitting on the rug in front of the TV watching Pooh stuck in his tree. Mary Margaret was making the eggs and the bacon while Emma made the toast. It was the only thing she could cook. Rose didn't like butter on her toast. She preferred peanut butter, a combination Emma saw no appeal in. Mary Margaret put the eggs and a strip of bacon on Rose's plastic, pink flowered plate and Emma arranged the peanut butter toast on the side.

"Okay, Rose, it's time to eat." Emma walked into the living room and picked up Rose.

"No! No! No!" Rose protested, "Pooh! Want Pooh!"

"Pooh will be back later, breakfast first."

"Pooh! Pooh!" She really was a bit crabby from the rain and lack of sleep, but her protests died once she was finally in her booster seat. Food was always a good way to calm her down. Rose immediately reached for her first slice of peanut butter toast, smearing it all of her face as she ate.

"She'll smell like a Reese's cup now," Emma said.

"Should I add some chocolate syrup then to complete the picture?" Mary Margaret teased.

"She'd love it, but it'd be pain to clean up."

"Not as bad as the honey," Mary Margaret said.

"The flour was a nightmare too." Emma grinned just a little as a wicked thought entered her head. If Gold did win, it would be funny to see Rose turning his life completely upside down. She could imagine Hurricane Rose in his shop for five minutes alone…the carnage would be brilliant.

Emma took her seat at the table and took up a forkful of scrambled eggs. The knock on the door made her roll her eyes and put her fork down. "I'll get it."

She thought it might be Henry with another mission for Operation Cobra or maybe Regina telling her to stay the hell away from her son. Boy was she off.

"You're not seriously standing there," Emma said to Mr. Gold.

"I would sit if you would prefer, but I doubt the floor is clean," he replied. Damn him and his dry wit. One day, she really just wanted to sew his mouth shut. Yeah, that would be fun.

"What do you want, Gold?" Emma asked. She knew it was about Rose. Maybe he wanted to ask her some more questions. Maybe he wanted to bribe her to be on his side. She wouldn't put anything past him.

"I want to see my daughter."

Emma shook her head at him. "It's not even 7:30 yet. Newsflash: the world doesn't revolve around you. She's eating breakfast, come back later."

"I'm sure her busy schedule can accommodate me now," he said.

"Hers, not mine."

Gold looked her up and down slowly, not in a heated way, just taking in the fact that she was wearing her ratty sweats and oversized t-shirt. "Yes, clearly you are in a rush."

"Why can't you come back at a more reasonable hour?"

"Why won't you let me see her?"

"I will," Emma said, "but I'm not going to tear apart my day just for you. And my day starts with breakfast."

It wasn't the first time they'd had an argument in a doorway and probably could have continued for a while longer, but Mary Margaret knew how to play mediator. She stepped around Emma and pushed the door open fully so Gold could see them both. "Mr. Gold, how nice to see you this morning. Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, that would be lovely." His smile was directed at Emma, savoring his victory like a dog over bacon. She really needed to get Mary Margaret to be less soft-hearted. Mr. Gold would no doubt walk all over her with that.

Emma had no choice but to let him in. She moved back to the kitchen table and stood next to Rose. The toddler had finished off most of her eggs, all of her bacon and was munching on her last triangle of toast. Mary Margaret had obviously wiped most of the peanut butter off of her face, but there was still a smudge of it on the tip of her nose.

"Good thing it's not jelly or you'd be Rudolph," she said with a fond smile. She picked up the napkin to wipe off the peanut butter.

Rose paid no attention to Emma. She kept her eyes on Mr. Gold as she nibbled at her toast. Mr. Gold was watching her right back. "Why is she having peanut butter for breakfast?"

"She likes it on her toast," Mary Margaret replied as she poured him his cup of coffee, "It's a great source of protein for kids."

He nodded. At least he wasn't accusing them of poisoning her. "I trust you're making sure she eats right."

"Of course," Mary Margaret said.

"It's not like we pile on the sugar," Emma said, "We actually know how to feed a toddler." Okay, maybe six weeks ago she didn't, but he didn't know that.

Mary Margaret didn't get defensive over his comment. "Rose loves apples and grapes as a snack. Cheerios too and her favorite meal is spaghetti."

"And her favorite toy," Emma replied. She remembered Rose's sauce-covered face, hair and clothes from two days past. They'd indulged her for once and let her make a large mess because it was nice just to hear her laugh.

"I think Moe said he was going to make that for her tonight," Mary Margaret said to Emma who nodded.

"Is Mr. French coming for dinner then?" Gold asked, now his tone taking a cooler edge to it.

"No, he's taking Rose for the evening," Emma said.

"You've granted him visitation then."

"Of course. He asked." _You haven't_, she added to herself. It had only been a few days, so she supposed she could forgive him for that, but it was hard to condone anything Gold did.

"In that case, it seems only fair that I be allowed to see Rose as well."

"Thanks for asking so nicely," Emma replied. She picked up Rose's empty plate and set it down in the kitchen sink.

"She's my daughter, why should I ask?"

"That's what I don't like about you, Gold." She whirled around to face him. "You keep saying, 'she's mine' 'mine, mine, mine'. Like she's some sort of antique you bought at an auction. Just because you contributed half of her DNA doesn't make you her owner."

"It does make me her father."

Mary Margaret waved her hands in front of her in a gesture to clear the air, like she was talking to her students. "Let's calm down and talk about this rationally. Mr. Gold, I'm sure Emma will agree that you have a right to visit Rose. She has said many times she wants to remain neutral in this."

"Indeed she has," he said. He seemed to think that having Mary Margaret on his side earned him something, but Emma knew her friend. Maybe she thought that Gold deserved a chance, but she would back Emma no matter what happened.

"I never said you couldn't see Rose," Emma reminded him, "You're welcome to see her."

"Good."

"But only as long as I'm with her."

The victorious gleam in his eyes went ice cold in record timing. "What?"

"Emma?" Mary Margaret questioned her.

"Either me or Mary Margaret have to be present with her when she's with you," Emma said, "That's my requirement."

"Oh and I'm sure you're chaperoning Moe as well," he hissed, "How is this remaining neutral, Miss Swan?"

"I'm not trying to hold power over you, Gold," Emma said, "Unlike you, I'm not trying to win anything here."

"Oh really? Then what would you call this?"

"I'm trying to think of what's best for Rose."

"By denying me my rights as a father."

"That's not—!" Just then Rose let out a cry. She was looking at them from her booster seat, still strapped in and forgotten at the table. Everyone stopped shouting and looked over at her, but she continued to cry.

All three adults hurried to her side, but Emma got there first. She unbuckled Rose from her seat and scooped her. "We're sorry, sweetie. We won't fight anymore."

"No!" Rose shouted and wiggled in her grasp, "Momma! Want momma! Momma!" She continued to cry and struggle, as if she could somehow find the woman who birthed her on her own.

Emma and Mary Margaret had only told Archie about Rose's renewed interest in her missing mother. Now she looked over at Gold to see his reaction. For once, he didn't try to hide his emotions behind his usual impassive mask. He actually looked…devastated. It was the same look she and Mary Margaret had shared when Rose had called out for Alayna. They were at a loss of what to do. They couldn't bring her mother back, no matter how much they wanted to. Maybe even Gold would do it if he could.

"I'll take her," Mary Margaret said and opened her arms so Emma could pass the toddler over to her.

Rose cried into Mary Margaret's shoulder. She hummed a sprightly tune to try and soothe her as she walked over to Rose's crib. "Here, Rose, here's your momma." She picked up the picture of Alayna and brought it and Rose to her bed. "Look, she's smiling at you. Can you smile back?"

Emma and Gold both watched as Mary Margaret tried to prod Rose back into her cheerful self with just a picture. "That's why I can't let you take her right now," Emma said quietly, "She knows what's going on."

"And I suppose you'd rather I give all of this up and let Moe have her," Gold said darkly.

"No, what I'm trying to say is that she needs to be with people she trusts. She doesn't know you, Gold. She doesn't know you're her father. Maybe that's not your fault, but that's how it is. If I left her alone with you all day she'd be terrified. I don't think that's what you want."

"I just want to spend time with her," he said, "I've missed enough of her life as it is."

"I get that," Emma said with more than little sympathy, "Really, I do."

He gave her a doubtful look. Trust clearly wasn't something he was good at, nor did he like pity. "Just tell me when you want to see Rose and I'll bring her by," Emma said.

"I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?" he said, shaking his head at the situation.

"I'm not changing my mind on this."

"No, I don't expect you would. In that we are very much alike." Oh no, she was not going to have _anything_ in common with Mr. Gold. She watched as he headed for the door. Their discussion was clearly over.

"You could try having a little faith in people," Emma said.

"That's not what I'm known for," he turned to look at her as he spoke. His eyes then reached across the room to Mary Margaret who was still trying to calm down Rose. "Try reading to her," he said, "Her mother loved books. If she wants to be close to her mother, she can always find her in a book."

Damn, why hadn't they thought about that?

Because they didn't know Alayna. That was something Emma sometimes forgot. Gold knew Rose's mother better than they ever could. He knew how to reach to that side of his child, the side that wanted to remember her lost mother. Emma watched him as he finally left. She could never get a good measure on the man. Sometimes when he left, she thought he was the worlds biggest ass, others he seemed just as ordinary and helpless as everyone else. Today was a mixture of both.

"That could have gone better," Emma said to the closed door.

"Are you sure you couldn't let him have Rose for a couple of hours?" Mary Margaret asked, "It's not like Rose is shy."

"I know," Emma said as she walked over to sit down on the bed next to her. Rose was sniffling and tears continued to roll softly down her cheeks. She had one thumb in her mouth and her brown eyes locked on her mother's picture. "But right now she needs stability. Her life is enough of a mess and I don't think it would be right just handing her over to a virtual stranger."

"I understand, but I'm wondering if that's all this is."

"What do you mean?"

Mary Margaret bit her lip and then shrugged. "Maybe you just don't trust him with Rose."

Emma opened her mouth to deny that. She was neutral here, at least she wanted to be. But this whole argument was just proof that what her friend said was right. She didn't trust him. "Yeah, that probably is part of it."

"He knows that," Mary Margaret said, "That's why he doesn't trust you. He expects you to shut him out of Rose's life. You know how that feels, having to ask people how your child is and watch him from a distance. You should have a little faith him, just like you asked."

Emma let out a sigh and put her elbow on her knees and buried her head in her hands. Why did she have to make so much sense? And what's worse, she was point out another thing she had in common with Gold. Not only were they stubborn but they both had a child they couldn't legally claim as their own. At this rate, they could start a club together on those woes.

"I hate it when you're right," Emma said into her palms. She lifted her head up from her hands. "I'll bring Rose to his shop today. I still need to be there. I don't want her to be scared."

"I understand," Mary Margaret said, giving her a proud smile.

Emma looked over at the little wicker basket of Rose's toys and books off to the side of the room. If she was going to take a leap of faith, why not give Gold's advice a shot? All three of them got comfortable on Mary Margaret's bed as Emma read to Rose the book about a baby bird looking for his mother. Rose stopped crying in the middle of the reading. It wasn't just the bird who found his mother in the book.

* * *

The tiny courtroom was packed again with everyone in the town wanting to know what would be said next. This was the most exciting thing to hit the town in a while and everyone had taken sides…or rather _a side_. Not many people were pulling for Mr. Gold to win custody of his child; actually he was in the minority of one…though Mary Margaret was more or less on the fence.

Everyone was buzzing as they waited for Judge Hawthorne to start the proceedings very much like the week before; only now Archie was waiting in the back to be summoned forth to deliver his decision. No one really doubted what he would say though; it was hard to imagine the doctor siding with someone as repugnant as Mr. Gold.

Finally the bailiff announced that the judge was coming and everyone stood on ceremony before the court was called to order. "We are here to receive the decision from the guardian ad litem. Is Dr. Archibald Hopper here?"

"Yes sir."

"Please step forward and take the oath."

Archie looked a little uncomfortable as he stepped up to the witness stand and put his hand on the Bible, swearing to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help him God. Then he took a seat and toyed with the sealed envelope in his hands.

"Dr. Hopper, you have observed Rose French and the two men seeking custody of her."

"Yes I have," Archie replied.

"And have you reached a decision?"

"Yes sir."

"And you do recognize that your opinion will be considered but not necessarily reflect my future decision."

Archie nodded his head. "Of course."

The judge gave him a stern look. "May I read your decision?" Archie handed the sealed envelope to the bailiff who quickly transferred it to the judge's hands. The whole courtroom was quiet as he ripped open the envelope and then unfolded the paper.

The sound of watches ticking could be heard but Judge Hawthorne didn't give any indication over what he was reading, his face was completely impassive. Finally he nodded his head to the bailiff. "Please give this back to the witness."

Archie accepted the letter, looking even more uncomfortable now, especially with the judge's next request. "Please read your decision out loud."

The doctor cleared his throat and crinkled the paper a few times before beginning. "For all who are concerned here I came to this decision through a careful evaluation of both potential candidates for the guardianship for Rose French.

"Both men are biological relatives of Rose and it is necessary to remember that the paternal relationship between Mr. Robert Gold and Rose French should be given priority unless it can be proven that Morris French will provide a more appropriate environment or Mr. Gold is proven to not be a suitable parent.

Archie looked up and nervously glanced at both men. "I studied both subjects in their homes. I have to stress that Rose has only known her grandfather her entire life and I can find no fault with his care for her until this point. All the evidence suggests she has been provided for as best as Mr. French possibly can with real affection and love." He cleared his throat. "However, I do have significant concerns about Mr. French's resources for the future, with his situation his care for Rose is day-to-day and no significant preparations have been made for Rose's future whether it be financial or physical and there is no evidence the Mr. French has the means to change this situation. To that end, while Rose has been properly cared for now, I remain uncertain if such attentive care will be available in the future."

Now he looked even more nervous. "In the case for Rose's biological father, many questions have been raised over the circumstances of her birth and subsequent years and while I believe such questions are important, they are not the ones that need to asked. The relevant inquiries are is Mr. Gold a suitable parent for Rose and can he provide for her? In the latter the answer is unequivocally yes. Mr. Gold has more than enough resources to provide Rose with whatever material needs she has as well as any future investments.

"As for the first question, that answer is not as clear as the past is no indication because until now he has had no interaction with the child. However, Mr. Gold has clearly stated his desire to be in his daughter's life and I have found no evidence to refute his claim. In fact, he has taken many steps to create a suitable home for his child and has already begun to plan for her future. In addition, in my professional opinion, Mr. Gold cannot only provide for Rose materially but emotionally as well. He can give her the love and care that she needs."

The letter was already starting to cause a stir; no one had expected Archie to speak so kindly about Mr. Gold. Judge Hawthorne looked at the crowd sternly but kept his focus on Archie. The doctor glanced up again nervously before ending his letter.

"In my opinion the best solution for Rose is to have both men as permanent fixtures in her life. However, I believe that primary guardianship and parental rights should be granted to Mr. Gold with visitation rights for Morris French."

The last lines of the letter were drowned out by the roar of the crowed as everyone gasped and reacted to the news no one had expected. Judge Hawthorne banged on his gavel, shouting "Order!" but no one really listened. Archie was uncomfortable but there wasn't a hint of regret in his eyes.

Moe was sputtering while Regina tried to calm him down and of course Mr. Gold was smiling calmly. But why should he be upset when everything was happening just as he would want?

* * *

The next day everyone was still talking about Dr. Hopper's unexpected decision on Rose French's future. There was talk of shock, betrayal and out right anger that the doctor had pulled something like this. When Mary Margaret and Emma came in, once more with little Rose, looks of sympathy followed the sprite.

The two women did what they could to try and act like it was a normal day and that no one was staring and questioning Rose's future. Rose was a little subdued, perhaps she knew a little bit that things were different, she certainly was aware of how solemn the adults in her life suddenly were. But once she had her bite sized pancake pieces she was happy once again.

"How are things?" Ruby asked as she poured a cup of coffee for Emma.

"Fine," Emma replied, it was as close to the truth as any of them could get right now. What with all eyes of the town on them.

Before another question could be asked the bell to the diner rang and there were only two people who could cause that sharp look of outrage at nearly the entire place: Mr. Gold and Archie.

Emma turned to see that it was the latter who was obviously rethinking his need for Granny's bacon and eggs, though he did eye the empty seat next to Marco between him and Leroy. Oh boy this was going to be interesting.

"Leroy? Is this seat taken?" Archie asked softly.

"Yes, you'll have to sit somewhere else." Leroy said stiffly.

"Now, Leroy. Don't be this way," Marco pleaded. "Archie is only doing his job."

Leroy didn't look like he believed him. "Admit it, Gold paid you to say that stuff."

"Leroy!" Ruby gasped.

"It's the only explanation," he explained, "why else would he give the kid to Gold?"

"Nobody paid me anything," Archie declared. "I simply made a decision based on the facts."

"That Moe shouldn't have his granddaughter?" Walter scoffed.

"No, that isn't what I meant. But Moe…Moe can't provide for her the way she needs to be."

"Gold can't provide anything more than money," Mr. Clark pointed out.

"You don't know that," Archie told him, "you're judging him only on what you know."

"Yeah?"

"Well there is a lot more to Mr. Gold then just collecting rent and working in the pawn shop."

That raised a few eyebrows, which told Archie he might have said a little too much. "Like what?" Ruby asked, even she was curious to find out what Archie knew about the town's owner.

Archie shook his head. "It's in confidence." He took a seat then as if that would dismiss the subject but that only meant everyone was free to talk about him now that his back was turned.

Mary Margaret looked at him sadly. "It's going to be okay."

The doctor gave her a small smile. "I'm just doing what I feel is right."

"I know…and I think you are right."

Emma gave her a look. "And we are supposed to be impartial."

"So was Archie," Mary Margaret said, "and he obviously saw something we missed. I trust his judgment."

"We'll see," Emma replied, turning her attention back to Rose.

Mary Margaret was a bit more insistent. "He came to see her, he clearly wants to be in her life."

"Now," Emma reminded her, "what about when she was around before? And what the…_heck_ happened between him and Alayna?"

"Does it really matter? This is about Mr. Gold and his daughter."

"I think his relationship with her mother means _something_ in this context," Emma continued, "After all how he treated her is generally a reflection on how he'll treat his kid."

"You don't know that he treated her badly. He could have loved her."

Emma gave her a look. "She didn't tell him that she was pregnant. Obviously something went wrong."

* * *

With the whole town still reeling from the trial and poor Archie taking the brunt of it, Emma was more than tempted to just conveniently forget about her plan to bring Rose to Gold's shop. The only problem with that was Rose's brown eyes were a constant reminder of the man Emma wanted to avoid. The guilt of deliberately breaking her promise was just too much.

Rose sucked on her thumb and blinked up at the sign that hung over the front door. "Big."

"Yep, that's your father," Emma said, "He never does anything by halves." That was certainly true, but what did that mean when it came to Rose and her missing mother? Could that possibly mean that when Gold loved he loved completely? She'd been spending too much time with Mary Margaret. Soon she'd start comparing his story to those over-the-top sappy heroes from those books her friend loved so much.

"I know you don't know him very well," Emma said to Rose, "But Mr. Gold's your dad. You don't know that means I guess, but that means he's family. I'm not good with family myself, never really had one, but I guess we all should get to know them. Try not to be scared, okay?"

Rose looked up into her eyes and for a second Emma wondered if maybe she had actually understood her. Then Rose wrinkled her nose and blew her a raspberry, giggling all the while. Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled. "You'll be fine."

She hefted Rose higher on her hip and walked into the shop. The bell rang like it always did so there was no hope of sneaking inside. Gold was at the counter, sorting through papers. He looked up at the ringing of the bell. The frown that creased the space between his eyes smoothed the moment his eyes found Rose.

"Gol," Rose said when she saw him and pointed in his direction. His mouth curled up just a bit.

"What is this, Miss Swan?" he asked, "A proverbial olive branch?"

"Sort of," Emma admitted, "though I think she's cuter than that."

"For once, we agree."

Rose didn't pay much attention to her role in this peace offering. She was too entranced by the numerous shiny objects to be found in the shop, particularly the crystal unicorn mobile that Emma was certain cost the same as her car. "Horsie," she said as she reached for one blue unicorn.

"Careful, kid, I don't relish paying for that if you broke it," Emma said.

"I could recoup the loss if she did," Gold said smoothly. Oh yeah, she wasn't the parent here. Rose could break every piece of glass in the place and Emma wouldn't have to pay for a thing. Just for that, she was tempted to set Rose down and let her destructive powers loose. It might be fun to see Gold deal with that scenario. Then again, Rose was very sensitive right now. She'd get scared if they started yelling again.

"Look, I don't really know what to do here," Emma admitted, "I feel like we're divorced or something."

Gold blinked at her and shook his head. "I would appreciate it if you never associated us in marriage terms again."

"Yeah, I'm right there with you." She'd rather be married to a walrus than Mr. Gold. The idea made her want to take a shower and scrub herself clean with sandpaper.

Rose began to whine and wiggle around in Emma's grasp. If she didn't let her loose she was sure to start crying, so Emma set Rose down on her pink sneakers. Rose rushed to the glass counter, plastering her tiny palms on the glass. Her nose was pressed to it as she stared at the silver tea set inside. "Tea," she said then added, "Pot."

"Yes, that's right. Can you sing the tea pot song?" Emma asked her, "Show Mr. Gold the tea pot song."

"Gol," Rose said instead, moving away from the tea set. She now pointed to the scariest puppets Emma had ever seen. "Doll. Want doll."

"No, Rose, you don't want those." Emma was worried they were possessed and they would wind up reenacting _Child's Play_. She'd never played with dolls again after seeing that movie.

"Doll." Rose pointed while looking at Emma with those big brown eyes.

Emma looked over at Gold. "I take it those are worth far more than a two-year old can afford?"

"Indeed," he said while looking at his child. Rose was now blinking back tears as she realized the adults in the room were not going to give her the word's ugliest puppets. "This could be a problem."

"I'll buy her an ice cream on the way home. She'll be fine."

"I have a better idea." Emma watched as Mr. Gold limped around the counter to a shelf on the wall farthest from the front door. He removed an old cloth doll with yellow yarn for hair and a blue dress with a white apron. It looked clean, but Emma bet it was older than she was. He dropped down to the knee on his good side and held out the doll to Rose. "Here you go, sweetheart."

Rose forgot all about the puppets and hugged the doll to her chest. That crooked, half-smile was back on his face, the closest thing to a real smile she'd ever seen on him. It puzzled Emma a bit. He'd made a big show yesterday morning about wanting time with Rose, but he didn't show a whole lot of actual affection to her now. Fondness yes, but he was playing the part of a distant uncle than a father. It could be her. Maybe he just wanted to be alone with Rose. Or maybe he just didn't know how to be a father.

That dilemma was nothing new for Emma. Right now the problem was that Rose had already fallen in love with the stupid doll. She guessed it would cost her a pretty penny now. "How much for the doll?"

Gold met her eyes again, frowning just a little. "I wasn't aware you were buying it."

"Well if I don't, Rose will cry all the way home, ice cream or not."

"I am giving it to her, Miss Swan. I can easily afford the loss."

She didn't doubt that, but then that caused another problem: debt. Gold never gave away anything for free. She'd learned that lesson the hard way. Emma was still waiting for the day when he'd call in that favor. In the meantime, she had nightmares of having to dig graves for the people he killed or having to arrest some hapless town person who owed Gold far too much. No way would she let him hold this over her too.

"You don't have to do that. I'll pay for it."

"She's my daughter, Miss Swan," he said.

"I know. I read the test results," Emma said, "but that doesn't change the fact that right now she's my responsibility." His eyes darkened at that statement. "Yeah, you can hate that all you want but it's the truth."

"I'm certain Miss Blanchard wouldn't be so suspicious over a gift," Gold said.

"Really?" she said and shook her head, "You're going to pull that on me? Maybe she wouldn't, but she's not here and you don't know that for sure."

"Actually I do. She had no qualms over the bracelet."

"What bracelet?" Emma asked.

"The one Rose is wearing."

Emma looked down at Rose as she played with her hair on the doll. Rose did have tiny gold chain encircling her wrist. Emma had seen it before, of course. Rose had started wearing it around the time of Mary Margaret's party. "You gave her that?"

"I did."

"When?"

"When Miss Blanchard came to thank me for my assistance in her case."

A week _before_ the test came back. A week _before_ Gold claimed to not know he had a daughter. "You lied," Emma hissed at him, "You knew all along about Rose, didn't you?"

"I didn't lie," he said.

"So you usually give out antique jewelry to random children? You must have more kids following you than the Pied Piper."

"Now you're being ridiculous."

"Am I? You gave Rose a bracelet and you say you didn't know she was your daughter?"

"I didn't know for sure," he said firmly. "I already told you I had my suspicions."

"You must have been pretty damn sure if you were giving her expensive gifts."

"It was a broken necklace that I fashioned, not a vintage Cartier," Gold defended himself. Rose held her doll in her arms and watched them with her all-knowing eyes again. At least she wasn't crying. Yet.

"If you were that sure, then why didn't you say anything?" Emma demanded, "Why did you keep it all to yourself? What's the big secret here?"

"My affairs are my business," he snapped.

"And clearly they mean more to you than family." Emma was too pissed off to stay there for another minute. She took the doll from Rose's hands and shoved it into Gold's chest. "Keep it. She doesn't need your charity."

Rose immediately started sobbing and flailing for the doll even after Emma had scooped her up. "Rose is my daughter," he growled at her, "I want her to have this."

"I know Rose is your daughter," Emma snapped back at him, "but that doesn't make you her father, just the man who supplied her genetic material. It takes more than just gifts and DNA to make someone a parent. It takes love and courage." Emma swept him once with her eyes and then shook her head. "I'm not sure if you have either."

The bell rang again when they left. She hoped to God it was the last time she ever heard that bell.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, Emma sure can't get over the fact Gold never came forward when he could. But be patient with her, she doesn't understand why he had to wait. About 99.9% of you all guessed Archie's decision to a T. Yeah, we figured he'd see the good in Gold too. Please review, we love to hear what you have to say.

Next Chapter: Regina brings out the big guns and Gold takes a bit of a hit during the trial. Emma worries about giving her own testimony and Gold finally gets a moment alone with Rose, which leaves Emma even more confused when it's finally time to tell all to the judge. What do you think she'll say?


End file.
